After a nervy first half, Manchester United finally stamped their authority in the tie in the second half of their Round of 16 tie against Real Betis; 5:1 on aggregate.
Manchester United are through to the finals of the Europa League after a full time agregate score of 5:1. Most of the damage was done in the second half of the first leg, played at Old Trafford.
Despite qualification to the next round, Manchester United had to grind out the result in the second leg in front of a packed and motivated Benito Villamarin. Inside just 9 minutes, Real Betis striker Juanmi was played through on goal dragging his effort wide past De Gea’s goal. Less than 5 minutes later Joaquin’s fierce shot from outside the box was tipped onto the post by the United shot-stopper.
End-to-end football by United ensured the neutrals enjoyed the game most. For United fans, De Gea played a crucial role in keeping out Real Betis. In late added time, however, Facundo Pellistri, making his first start for Manchester United hit the post with the rebound missing the foot of Wout Weghorst.
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In the second half, Marcus Rashford’s stunning shot from outside the box in the 55th minute was enough to settle the fixture on the night.
In their last seven away games in Europe against Spanish opposition, Manchester United remain unbeaten and have won five of those games (D2). In their first 26 games across all of the European competitions, they had only three victories (D11 L12).
Former Man City boss Manuel Pelligrini will now have to look at the positives from his team’s performance as Real Betis showed intent to win, despite the aggregate score.
In their final game before the international break, Manchester United will host Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday in the FA Cup quarterfinals.
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