Amorim’s Home Debut Fuels Manchester United Recovery in a Dramatic Europa League Match
Hojlund returned to the spotlight with two goals as United beats Bodo/Glimt 3-2.
This new Old Trafford era gets off to a winning start for Ruben Amorim.
Manchester United loses to Bodo/Glimt in Ruben Amorim’s first home game as manager Thursday night 3-2 in Europa League. Rasmus Hojlund emerged the star man, scoring a decisive double and helping his side record back-to-back victory in the tournament after sacking Erik ten Hag.
The result gives a much-needed lift to United after their stuttering start to their Europa League title defence having drawn their first three group stage matches.
Half the stadium doesn’t know me — I came from Portugal and I have done nothing for this club yet! It will help them and their hard work But the feeling of being at home that they gave me is special,” Amorim said at the end of the match.
A First Half of Chaos Takes Centre Stage at Old Trafford
United did not take too long to come out of their shells and they opened the score in less than a minute. Spectating goalkeeper Nikita Haikin was stunned by a back-pass pressure and caused a blockage by Hojlund. Ortiz then blundered to concede an own goal with Garnacho, the beneficiary, scoring an open-net shot.
But nervy shortcomings were soon evident as Bodo/Glimt scored twice in a matter of minutes. United was left stunned when Hakon Evjen equalized in the 19th minute and then Philip Zinckernagel scored a composed finish four minutes later.
A great piece of play from Hojlund right before half time helped restore parity of the score. A nice piece of skill and a shot into the bottom right corner from a passing cross by Noussair Mazraoui gave motion to the stillness that was pretty much the proceeding minutes.
How the Second-Half Enable the Victory
The home side were back in front after just five minutes of the restart. A fine through ball from Manuel Ugarte gave Hojlund the simplest of tasks to tap in and make the home fans’ joy complete.
There was still a fair amount of nervy moments here and there for the cannons – such as goalkeeper Andre Onana handling the ball outside the box, though escaped a red card. However Osman’s side stood their grounds to give a good start to new manager at Old Trafford.
Roma Hands Tottenham Late Blow as Both Teams End 2-2
In other London match, Tottenham Hotspur lost to Roma 2-2. Mats Hummels provided the tort to Tottenham’s supporters when he equalized for the Italian side in the nick of the final whistle.
Spurs got off the block on the early side through a penalty from Son Heung-min after the foul on Pape Matar Sarr. Evan Ndicka performed well in equalising from a Paulo Dybala free kick, but Brennan Johnson shone again as he scored for the London side before half time.
Roma Hands Tottenham Late Blow as Both Teams End 2-2
In other London match, Tottenham Hotspur lost to Roma 2-2. Mats Hummels provided the tort to Tottenham’s supporters when he equalized for the Italian side in the nick of the final whistle.
Spurs got off the block on the early side through a penalty from Son Heung-min after the foul on Pape Matar Sarr. Evan Ndicka performed well in equalising from a Paulo Dybala free kick, but Brennan Johnson shone again as he scored for the London side before half time.
Throughout the second half, Spurs had most of the possession but could not quite secure a victory; indeed, in the final minutes, Hummels netted home to leave Spurs’ Ange Postecoglou outside of the top eight due to goal difference.
“We should have had a better handle on ourselves,” said Postecoglou. “We had opportunities that were saved off the line and it kept them alive.”
Other Europa League Highlights
First, Athletic Bilbao dominated Elfsborg, winning 3-0, they are now equal with Lazio, who lost points after settling for a 0-0 draw against Ludogorets.
Eintracht Frankfurt clinched a 2-1 victory over Midtjylland in Denmark; the team’s sixth straight victory was provided by a penalty shot by Omar Marmoush.
Victor Osimhen of Galatasary was on the swell again, securing his seventh goal in his seventh consecutive match. But as it turns out, a 1-1 stalemate with the Dutch side, Alkmaar AZ plunge the Turkish giants back two points behind the group leaders.
Lyon rose to seventh after a 4-1 whomping of Qarabag in Baku, thanks to Georgia-born striker Georges Mikautadze’s brace.
Rangers continue to battle in domestic leagues, but overwhelmed their opponents with a four-one triumph, helping them solidify their standing in the group.
Chelsea on Marches again with the fourth consecutive victory.
Chelsea extended on their winning streak in the Conference League with a clear 2-0 win, impressive performances by Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk.
Nkunku put Dortmund in the lead on the first half of the second half after he had Marketed a cross of Jadon Sancho and scored a splendid goal in the top side of the goal area. Filip Jorgensen, Chelsea’s goalkeeper, secured the game with a double save to prevent the visitors from scoring and Mudryk put the final nail in the visitors’ coffin with a neat turn and finish during added time after a fine one-two with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Europa League: The Way Forward
As the stakes for the group stages rise, everyone will be focusing on qualification chances with Manchester United gaining form under Ruben Amorim and other main contenders Tottenham, Lazio and Eintracht Frankfurt.