Manchester United will have a 90 -minute shootout against Real Sociedad at Old Trafford next week to reach the quarterfinals of a European competition for the second time only since 2021.
On the last 16 of Thursday evening, the Europa League ended with a 1-1 tie in Anoeta de la Real in San Sebastian, maintaining the tie level in a total of the return game.
Joshua Zirkzee fired United ahead of the brand of the brand, before the Mikel Oyarzabal penalty pushed the Spanish loop again.
As the game was deployed
The first half was not memorable in the minimum. A more ruthless team than the Royal Society may have smelled the metaphorical blood that filtered from its visitors, but they did not.
The attacks of the hosts, the missing star midfielder Martin Zubimendi due to injury, did not ask the right questions and often got rid of when the ball approached the United States box. The very exhausted side of Ruben Amorim was not so without teeth, but it is not much better.
Alejandro Garnacho’s shot 12 minutes was comfortably saved by the royal goalkeeper Alex Remiro, who also gathered a Dalot Diogo header shortly before the break he was directly. Patrick Dorgu also shot with a trait that lacked conviction after an initial counter had slowed down.
The real great time of the 45 -minute inauguration headed for the closing stages, and Bruno Fernandes saw what seemed to have been a blocked target on the line after the low cross of Dalot to the penalty spot. Zirkzee followed by Remiro saved it incredibly.
The second half was instantly instantly. The two manufactured parts improved the moments in a few minutes of the restart, with Oyarzabal de Ligt Ligt Ligt Ligt Ligt Ligt Ligt Ligt Ligt Ligt Ligt Ligt Ligt. At the other end, Garnacho fired on the side from a promising position, before hitting another straight line in Remiro.
Garnacho did not let those offenses fall and soon became involved. With the game approaching the time, he became a creator, leading to the penalty area to the right and handed a cut on the edge of the box that Zirkzee first hit on the net.
But the Real went back. After an effort from Brais Mendez had lost the goal, a corner a few minutes later produced a penalty for the hosts. It seemed tough, Fernandes penalized a handball as he jumped to win a header. The referee did not whistle in real time and only pointed out the place after it was intervened. Oyarzabal waited a long time to catch the kick, but kept cool to convert.
The fortuitous goal gave life to the people at home and breathed energy to players on the pitch. In the final 15 minutes and Andre Onana had to be alert to push a speculative impulse from Mendez behind a corner. Substitute Orri Oskarsson then struck a glorious opportunity, before the Iscelander was denied in time of stoppage by a great savings of Onana to keep it 1-1.
Check the ratings of the Real Sociedad VS Man UTD player here.
Only 18 players were enough in shape – or eligible in the case of Chido Obi – Make the trip to San Sebastian. With the UEFA rules that allow 23 players in a squad of the day, that is, up to 12 substitutes on the bench, the United was very light.
Of the seven players who did not start, two were goalkeepers from the Academy, two were teenagers, another was Toby Collyer, he himself a young man with no experience only again from injuries. Victor Lindelof, an advocate, was also among the SUn, leaving an aging Christian Eriksen as the only way the United States coach could expect to inject any kind of impulse by attacking the team.
Rasmus Hojlund did not have the season he would have wanted after a respectable debut campaign as a United player in 2023/24. The Dane, who only turned 22, has often taken the critic for the lack of fire force.
But the blame has been disproportionate and unfair. This was fully evident for a moment in the middle of the first half when Diogo Dalot encountered the space on the right. Hojlund predicted what was happening and advanced, in front of his marker, to the penalty area. The goal would have been to his Mercè with a simple ball shot on his way.
Dalot did not see or chose to ignore the smart race, instead of slowing the move, checking and finally losing the attacking advantage, allowing many defenders to recover. Hojlund was completely guilt in this situation, doing everything he expected, but not getting the ball.
Lisandro Martinez pointed before the season This fault lies in the rest of the players on the pitch so as not to provide the service needed for the forwards to be scored.
Outside the Carabao Cup, outside the FA CUP and hitting the Premier League 12 times this season, Europe has offered a welcome breath for the United States.
Nine parties in the Europa League, are still unbeaten. The Oyarzabal penalty was also the lone margin of the end that denied the Sixth European consecutive European victory.
What is perhaps slight is that United could not do more to put the tie in bed at 1-0, when the real one had not appeared. It was only the Criminal of the NO -res that brought the level of the hosts and caused a more confident end to the game.
That said, the tie is still in favor of the United States. The distance goals do not have any more these days, but they are not behind in the line of total score and, in theory, they have a home advantage at Old Trafford for the second stage next week.
It is a slender advantage, but it is still an advantage.
