Antony made the winning one for Man United and knocks out Barcelona


Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 10:54 PM• Mart van Mourik • Last update: 23:02

Manchester United qualified for the round of 16 of the Europa League on Thursday evening. At Old Trafford, manager Erik ten Hag’s team needed a 2-1 win to beat Barcelona after the 1-1 draw at the Spotify Camp Nou. Substitute Antony scored the winning goal for Manchester United, while Fred cleared Robert Lewandowski’s opening goal.

Ten Hag again put Wout Weghorst in the starting number 10 position to disrupt Barcelona’s midfield, while Lisandro Martínez took over Tyrell Malacia’s place in the team. Luke Shaw moved to the left-back position as a result. Frenkie de Jong in turn appeared on the other side as a basic player at the kick-off. Xavi was the biggest surprise up front. On paper, Sergi Roberto was positioned in the left wing position, but in practice he dropped back to make room on the flank for the up and coming Alejandro Baldé.

Manchester United immediately had a huge chance at 1-0 in the third minute. Bruno Fernandes entered the sixteen-meter area and tried to outwit Ter Stegen with a diagonal slider, but the German closing post saved the day with his right foot. Fifteen minutes later, the opening goal fell on the other side. Bruno Fernandes lightly held Baldé by the arm in the box, sending the latter to the ground. Lewandowski got behind the ball and, after a remarkable run-up, shot in the 0-1 through the fingertips of De Gea.

Manchester United did not let themselves be fooled and emphatically went looking for the equalizer. Fernandes unsuccessfully tried his luck with a volley after a pass from Shaw; Fred failed to place his volley between the posts ten minutes before the break. In the final phase of the first company, Barcelona became dangerous several times through Sergi Roberto, among others, but the home team prevented a greater deficit. Two minutes after the break, Ten Hag’s team drew level with the Catalans.

Fernandes had an excellent wide pass on Fred, who took it flawlessly, was too fast for De Jong and placed the ball and the bottom right corner: 1-1. A few minutes later, substitute Antony was very close to 2-1. He broke through on the right side of the penalty area, but lost his balance and was unable to follow up the attack. The pressure from Manchester United was further increased and the attacking spirit resulted in several opportunities within a short time. Both Marcus Rashford and Antony lacked accuracy in the rounding.

After more than an hour of play, Barcelona showed itself dangerous. De Jong served Jules Koundé, who was released by Sancho, but De Gea nicely tapped the ball just over the own crossbar. More than fifteen minutes before the end, the spell was broken by Antony. De Gea was initially able to stop a hard shot from Garnacho and an attempt from Fred, but Antony’s effort in the long corner left the Spaniard with no chance: 2-1. In the remainder of the match, the pace remained killer, although Barcelona was unable to clear the deficit.