Manchester United will carry out a 90-minute shootout against Real Sociedad in Old Trafford next week to reach the quarter-finals of a European competition for the second time in 2021.
The Europa League on Thursday evening last ended 1-1 at La Reals Anoeta in San Sebastian and held the tie overall before the second leg.
Joshua Zirkzee shot United the hour before Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty brought the Spanish team back to the draw.
How the game unfolds
The first half was not unforgettable. A team that ruthlessly as a real sociedad would have smelled the metaphorical blood that seeps away from their visitors, but they didn’t.
Attacks by the hosts, who missed the star detector Martin Zubimendi through injuries, did not ask the right questions and often left out when the ball approached. Ruben Amorim’s strongly exhausted side was not quite as toothless, but not very better.
Alejandro Garnacho’s shot 12 minutes was conveniently saved by La Real goalkeeper Alex Remiro, who collected a header from Diogo Dalot shortly before the break, which was directly with him. Patrick Dorgu also shot with a shot that had no conviction after slowing down an initial switch.
The real big moment of the opening of 45 minutes came into the final phase when Bruno Fernandes should have been a specific goal at Dalot’s low cross at the penalty point. Circle followed by Remiro saved it incredibly.
The second half was immediately better. Both sides made improved moments within a few minutes after the restart, whereby the euro 2024 final match winner Oyarzabal only refused to convert a front post chance by a last tackle by Matthijs de Ligt. At the other end, Garnacho shot from a promising position to the side before he met another direct place on Remiro.
Garnacho did not allow him to be approved and was soon involved. After the game of the hour brand approached, he turned the Creator, drove towards the penalty area on the right side and delivered a reduction to the edge of the box, the circle for the first time.
But La Real struck back. After an effort from Brais Mendez, a corner had a punishment for the hosts a few minutes later. It seemed hard, Fernandes punished for a handball when he won a header. The referee did not whistle in real time and only pointed to the point after Var intervened. Oyarzabal waited a long time to take the kick, but held his cool to convert.
The random gate brought the home to life and breathed energy on the players on the field of energy. In the last 15 minutes and Andre Onana had to be vigilant to get a speculative journey from Mendez for a corner. The replacement of Orri Oskarsson later broadcast a glorious opportunity before the Icelander was refused by a large masturbation rescue in added time to keep it 1-1.
Take a look at Real Sociedad’s player reviews against Man UTD here.
Only 18 players were fit enough – or justified in Chido Obi’s case – to take the trip to San Sebastian. Since the UEFA rules allowed 23 players in a matchday squad, United ran very easily.
Of the seven players who did not start, two academy goalkeepers, two were teenage defenders, another was Toby Colly -even an inexperienced young boy who had just returned from an injury. Victor Lindelof, a defender, was also among the subs and left an aging Christian Eriks as the sole way, as the United coach could hope to give every kind of other attack ads to the team.
Rasmus Hojlund did not have the season that he would have wanted after a respectable debut campaign as United Player in 2023/24. The Dane, who has only become 22 years old recently, has conquered the main burden of criticisms for the lack of the team’s attack firer.
But the fault was disproportionate and unfair. That was completely clear in the middle of the first half when Diogo Dalot ran right into space. Hojlund expected what happened and burst in front of his marker towards the penalty area. The goal would have been delivered to his grace with a simple ball that was rolled in his way.
Dalot saw or decided not to ignore the intelligent run, instead slow the game, look back and ultimately lose the advantage of the attack by recovering too many defenders. Hojlund was completely guiltless in this situation and did everything that was expected, but did not get the ball.
Lisandro Martinez used to find in the season that there is so many mistakes on the other players on the field because they do not offer the strikers the necessary service to actually score.
From the Carabao Cup, from the FA Cup, and this season beat 12 times in the Premier League, Europe has offered a welcome break for United.
Nine games in the Europa League still remain unbeaten. The punishment of Oyarzabal was also the lonely fine edge, which Amorim’s team refused to win a sixth European victory in a row.
What is perhaps a slight disappointment is that United could no longer do to bring the tie to bed 1-0 when La Real did not appear. It was just the punishment from nowhere that brought the hosts Level and put the game into a more confident finish.
Apart from that, the draw is almost in favor of United. External goals do not count for more nowadays, but they are not back in the total number of points and theoretically have a home advantage in Old Trafford next week.
It is a slim advantage, but it is still an advantage.