Two days ago, Real Madrid needed a “Remontada” to come back against Arsenal in the Champions League. However, that didn’t happen, as they were convincingly beaten 5-1 on aggregate.
Manchester United, on the other hand, played their Europa League quarter-final second leg against Olympique Lyon today. The first leg had ended in a 2-2 draw, making the aggregate score 0-0 going into the second leg.
In the return fixture, United showed their quality early on, scoring two quick goals in the first half. However, Lyon responded by scoring two goals of their own, taking the game into extra time. During extra time, Lyon took the lead in the 105th minute, making it 3-2. They were then awarded a penalty in the 110th minute, which they converted to extend their lead to 4-2 and 6-4 on aggregate.
Now, if this were the Premier League, I might’ve said there was no hope for United. But have you heard of "Europa League United"?
Manchester United has spent more time playing in the Europa League than most of the clubs in the competition. In fact, they are still the only unbeaten team in this season’s tournament so far.
Then came the turnaround.
United flipped the script within seven minutes, with Casemiro at the forefront. He won a penalty in the 114th minute, which Bruno Fernandes converted—because we all know our captain never misses from the spot. Casemiro then assisted both Kobbie Mainoo’s goal and Harry Maguire’s header in the 120th and 120+1 minutes, respectively.
This is United.
Europa League United.
Mentality United.
Remontada United.
Though the clash emphasized our resilience, it also reinforced my belief in Ruben Amorim. He’s managing a squad with no proper striker, yet finding a way. And despite conceding four goals, Onana made several crucial saves that kept us alive.
Honestly, Amorim could be the beginning of something new—imagine using Maguire as a target man for crosses. Something Carlo Ancelotti failed to understand yesterday, instructing Madrid to spam crosses to 5'9" attackers against 6'5" Arsenal defenders. But that’s in the past now.
As a United fan, despite our not-so-great Premier League form, I believe in Ruben Amorim. I won't judge him until the summer window comes and he finally gets to build his own squad.
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