Manchester United celebrate victory over Barcelona and progress to the Europa League semi-finals after a turnaround

The rematch of the Europa League 1/16 final first leg between Manchester United and Barcelona promised to be a thrilling battle to reach the last eight after the 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou. Although the Catalans opened the scoring at Old Trafford, the 20-time English champions turned the tide in the second half and celebrated the win.

The Blaugranas had to deal with the noticeable absences of Dembélé, Gavi and Pedri. For example, Christian Eriksen and Anthony Martial, who have been injured for a long time, did not play for the English club.

Already in the third minute, the Red Devils had a great scoring chance, in which Bruno Fernandes missed a close-range effort from Marc-André ter Stegen. The Manchester captain was then at fault for a penalty kick after a quarter of an hour of play when referee Turpin judged his tackle on Balde to be a penalty.

Polish cannonballer Robert Lewandowski dealt with the opportunity presented, although David de Gea did get a hand to his shot towards the right post. However, the Spanish goalkeeper was unable to clear it out of the box.

A surprisingly dangerous moment for Barça came in the 36th minute when Fred tried to centre into the box from the right. However, he hit the ball in such a way that it almost went behind ter Stegen. In the end, the ball ended up in the top net.

However, after the goal, Erik ten Hag’s charges did not play as well as they did in the beginning of the match. In addition, just before the break, after a rough play by De Gea, the visitors missed a significant opportunity to increase their lead.

Instead, they equalised two minutes after the break. Fernandes’ successful pass was followed up by Fred, who shot from just outside the penalty area into the bottom right corner of the Barcelona net.

In the 59th minute, more emotions were stirred on the pitch and there was a minor scuffle. It was due to the unsporting behaviour of Fernandes, who, after a foul on Frenkie de Jong, deliberately put the ball between the legs of the falling Dutchman. The head referee subsequently awarded a yellow card to the Portuguese midfielder and Franck Kessie.

Five minutes later, Koundé had a good header, but De Gea headed it over the crossbar. Manchester United’s players, on the other hand, converted their next chance.

In the 73rd minute, Antony made it 2-1, as the ball bounced to him after his teammates’ shots were blocked. The young Brazilian appeared on the pitch after half-time, replacing Weghorst.

Barcelona failed to respond, although Lewandowski could have equalised late in the set-up. However, his shot was turned away by Varane just outside the box. Xavi’s team will not be able to achieve the goal they set themselves after being knocked out of the Champions League, which is to dominate the Europa League.

Manchester United, on the other hand, can continue to strive to win Europe’s second most prestigious club trophy after a 2-1 win and 4-3 overall. The Red Devils will be one of the favourites for this year’s triumph.

Source: UEFA