Europa League: Harry Maguire Saves Man United Blushes
- Red Devils beat Lyon 5-4 in epic quarter-final showdown
- Solanke wins it for Tottenham
Unexpectedly, Harry Maguire on Thursday night emerged the hero as ragged yet resilient Manchester United edged past Lyon into Europa League semi-final after extra time with an incredible comeback display
The burly defender snatched the crucial goal in a truly thrilling 120 minutes which will go down as one of the club’s greatest European nights’ football.
Legendary Club Manager, Sir Alex Ferguson once said, ‘Football, bloody hell’ when talking about the 1999 Champions League final between United and Bayern Munich of Germany, played at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, on 26th May
However, that magical night in Barcelona was tame compared to the wild, unpredictable and unforgettable night at Old Trafford which saw the Red Devils go 2-0 up against Lyon, blow their advantage then fall 4-2 behind in extra-time despite playing with a one-man advantage.
But somehow United conjured the spirit of the Camp Nou and scored three times in seven epic minutes to reach the Europa League semi-finals.
Bruno Fernandes gave them hope by converting a penalty in the 114th minute while Kobbie Mainoo curled in an equaliser in the 120th to send Old Trafford potty.
With penalties beckoning, Harry Maguire would have none of it as he snatched victory in the 121st minute, to set up a semi-final tie with Athletic Club. And given the incredible comeback performance inside the Theatre of Dreams Thursday night, United will dare to dream of making it back to Bilbao for this year’s final.
In his post-match comments, Coach Ruben Amorim said; “I was watching the 1999 documentary to have some inspiration for these moments. It was a great night, the team were tired, 4-2 with one more player, we think it’s over, but here it’s never over”.
He further told TNT Sports; “Here everything is possible, you feel the environment. At 4-3, after the Bruno Fernandes penalty, we felt we could change the game.”
But the United Manager admitted that the manner of the victory made all the suffering he has experienced in five months in charge of United worth it.
“I think that’s why we like this sport so much and all the frustration that the Coach has in this kind of season, the frustration the bad moments, when you had moment like this it’s all worth it, then you finish, we have a game on Sunday, we have to see all the players if they are fit to play because we have to focus on Europa League”, he told a press conference.
Amorim and his men have little time to recover from the emotional rollercoaster as they face Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday.
Notwithstanding, the real focus will now be on the Europa League semi-final tie against Athletic Bilbao, who beat Rangers 2-0 on aggregate.
Amorim said of the La Liga side: “I played against them in pre-season with Sporting so I know a little bit about them. It’s a different moment, they are really technical, they have two really good wingers but we will have time to assess the characteristics of the opponent.
Solanke Penalty Gives Tottenham S-Final Ticket
Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday kept their season alive and ease the pressure on Coach Ange Postecoglou as the bagged a ticket to the 2025 Europa League semi-finals.
All thanks to Dominic Solanke’s 43rd-minute penalty, the English side battled hard to record a 2-1 aggregate victory over Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany.
Spurs were back in the last-chance saloon and up against it at Deutsche Bank Park after a 1-1 draw in the first leg last Thursday, but produced one of their best displays under Postecoglou to ensure his tenure goes on.
Solanke’s spot-kick two minutes before half-time settled the tie and was won after vice-captains Cristian Romero and James Maddison combined to great effect.
Though it was backs-to-the-wall for Tottenham, they stood firm to survive six minutes of stoppage time and delight their 2,800 travelling fans with big full-time celebrations in securing only their second European semi-final since they won the UEFA Cup in 1984.
Admirably, the North London club held on to earn their first last-four spot in this competition in 41 years.
