Marcus Rashford score the only goal of the game to help Manchester United produce one of the narrow football results of the midweek action in the Europa League. Rashford broke the deadlock just before the hour mark with a magnificent goal from range, effectively ending Betis’ dreams of a miraculous comeback. Until that point, the Spanish side appeared to be the more deadly. United struggled to control the first half, enabling the game to grow stretched. As a result, Betis almost took an early lead through Juanmi, only for the forward to miss the target when through on goal. After United collapsed under early Real Betis pressure, 41-year-old Joaquin’s deflected effort also hit the crossbar.
Yet wastefulness from former Manchester City manager Manuel Pelligrini’s side ensured United could weather the storm and proceed as Rashford put a terrible miss behind him to put the final touches on United’s win as they march on in the Europa League in search of a second trophy this season. The draw for the Europa League quarter-finals will take place on Friday, March 17 at 12 p.m. UK time at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The semi-finals will also be drawn.
United made a shaky start under tremendous pressure from Betis, looking for an early goal to cut the aggregate deficit. After eight minutes, Juanmi was passed through on goal for a wonderful chance, but he blasted wide when he could have scored. De Gea, who struggled in control, had to be alert when Joaquin’s long-range attempt hit the post, and he was quick off his line to deny Juanmi as United fell down again after 30 minutes. Betis, seventh in La Liga, had the visitors on the ropes for the majority of the first half but were unable to capitalize.
Despite playing second-best in the first quarter, United might have gone into the break with a 1-0 lead as Facundo Pellistri’s effort hit the post and bounced out in stoppage time. United would have taken the lead if striker Wout Weghorst had connected with the ball. Betis resumed their previous form but were unable to improve in front of the goal. United began to relax and came close to scoring when Bruno Fernandes fed Rashford in the area, but the club’s leading scorer was unable to beat Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva from close range.
Rashford was through on goal when a fumble pulled the ball away from him, with just Silva to beat just two minutes later. Yet he swiftly recovered from his embarrassment to break Betis’ resolve with a magnificent strike from range. When Rashford’s strike extended United’s aggregate lead to four goals, the Spanish team went flat, but there was still time for Juanmi to waste another wonderful chance in the final seconds. United struggled at the Benito Villamarin but prevailed a week earlier at Old Trafford.
“I’m pleased, but we appreciate challenges, and we knew Betis was a good club, as we witnessed against Real Madrid and Barcelona. But we defeated them twice, so I believe we performed admirably,” Manchester United head coach Erik ten Haag said. “I believe we could have taken the lead, but there were times during our rest defense and defensive transition when they could have broken. We had to avoid it by maintaining better possession of the ball and utilizing the midfield overload. We didn’t always follow through.”
“The second half was much better, but they also ran out of energy, particularly after the first goal. We were lot better on the ball, much calmer, held the ball in the opponent’s half, forced them to run, and you can see how we generated chances,” he added. “All of the players performed admirably, and the newcomers can execute their jobs and put in good performances, so we don’t just have 11 players, but a squad. It’s amazing for Facundo to be here; he had some good remarks and performances in training, but a game is different. He has to come in at first, but you can see after a few minutes that he gained confidence and had some really fantastic actions, defending and performing his job. As a result, I am really happy with his performance.”
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