UEFA Europa League Round of 16
As European football comes to a hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak, Manchester United validated their ticket onto the quarterfinal stage of the Europa League following their 5-0 victory at Linz in Austria. There is as still a second leg to play but impossible for the visitors to overcome a five-goal deficit. In a stadium behind closed door, the Red Devils destroyed their opponents and controlled the match from start to finish.
11 matches unbeaten run
Manchester United has not been defeated for over two months (against Burnley 0-2) and has recorded 5 clean sheets out of the last 6 games. Coach Solksjaer comments on the great run for his team
“It’s fantastic but we need to keep going. It’s part of the reason we made a couple of changes. Changes are part of being a Man United player, you don’t play every game but you’re happy at the end if you win trophies. It’s not just about playing, it’s about winning and helping the team. If you play for 60, 70, 80 or 10 minutes you should be proud and have confidence.
The whole 90 minutes from the whole team was excellent. It’s great of course. We’re human beings and footballers with confidence will play and perform better than footballers without confidence, and we’ve got so many players with confidence because they’re doing well.
They deserve to be confident and it’s harder and harder to pick an XI. We made a few changes today. Some of the players really grabbed their opportunity and put pressure on the ones who have been playing most of the minutes.”
That’s it for now. The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Champions League, Europa League and MLS have been postponed. We will resume our coverage when sports come back on the forefront. Stay safe and limit your exposure. Together united we fight the coronavirus so we can enjoy our favorite sport again soon…
