Manchester United got a priceless 1-0 win against Spanish side Celta Vigo in the first leg Europa League clash on Thursday night. Manchester United, who were the away team, started the game well and were in control during the first half, with midfielder Paul Pogba in the middle of the action. Wasteful finishing let them down though, and they had to wait until the second half when striker Marcus Rashford scored a sumptuous free kick, which turned out to be the only goal in the match. Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said Rashford is a player who sharpens his set piece skills even after normal training, “He’s a 19-year-old kid that’s in love with football. A kid that finishes a training session and stays half an hour more to take free kicks and wait for the opportunity, it’s his mentality,” said Mourinho.
However, Mourinho said the result should’ve been better, given the number of chances his team had, “I’m very pleased with the performance, not so pleased with the result.” He said they have to finish the job at Old Trafford next week in the second leg, “We played well enough to have the result closed but we have to go and play at Old Trafford.”
Meanwhile, Celta Vigo boss Eduardo Berizzo said his team will look to attack at Old Trafford, adding that his team was disadvantaged in the first half of the clash, “It was a physical game in the air, with plenty of disputes for the second ball. In the first half we were disadvantaged and in the second we were better.”
The other second leg tie on Thursday in the semi-finals will be between French side Olympic Lyonnais and Ajax. The dutch team defeated Lyon by four goals to one in the first leg played on Wednesday in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and are the favorites to qualify for the final which will be held in Stockholm, Sweden.
