Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
All of which means I’m gone. But worry not: Scott Murray is still here for you, as Rangers v Fenerbahce pootles into the last 10 minutes of extra time. Join him here below, but otherwise, peace out and to those who celebrate, a freiliche Furim.
Wilson Odobert double takes Tottenham past AZ to keep season alive
I was waiting for this! “A friend of mine is a HJK supporter,” says Kári Tulinius, “and he once invited me along to a Europa League game in Helsinki in November. It was a proper Finnish winter evening, with snow and a slight, hellishly cold breeze. Even though at the time I didn’t know enough Finnish to understand the chants, I joined in the jumping and shouting just to avoid dying of exposure, trusting my friend to let me know if I was shouting anything that would reflect badly on me as a human.”
Tangentially, I remember Ole Gunnar Solskjær saying it’s difficult to get a racket going in cold places as everyone’s wearing gloves so can’t clap loudly. Maybe people should take a few pots and pans in.
“A complete week,” he says. We showed little bit of the future with the problems of the present.
The physicality was there, he thinks, and that in this competition United – underpowered domestically – can assert themselves in that way. They’re learning about themselves and how to win or draw games in the different competitions.
He’s learning how to use his players – Casemiro, say – and after trying Garnacho on the right in Spain, he saw things he’d not seen before.
Because United play with two 10s they need one player to make the runs, that being Hojlund, and he made some good “connections”. Of course he wants to score and you can see how much in his body language.
After the away game they felt they could progress, then they played well against Arsenal and in training he sensed a mood of “we can do this”.
On Bruno, he says it’s hard for him because sometimes he wants to win too much, trying to do everything because he doesn’t trust the teammates. But he can do some much, penalties under pressure, transitions in the dying minutes, and so on.
As for his position, he needs someone to take the ball to the final third, so he pushes him back as United once did with Ryan Giggs, and they need to get him near the box because he’s so dangerous. You need him as an 8 and a 10, says Scholes; and sometimes as a 6, adds Amorim.
Against Lyon, though, it’ll be a different game. They’re more physical and play in a really physical league, so United will have to find a different way.
Ah, here’s Ruben Amorim…
“Has to be Hamburg 0-3 Schalke in January 2014,” says Mark Robinson. “Temperature was -12 C, with the wind chill it was below -20 C. We survived by drinking gluhwein and coffee with brandy. The locals were trying to drink beer, but unfortunately it was freezing soon after it was poured. A long, frostbitten march back to the S-Bahn reminiscent of the French retreat from Moscow.”
I’ve got a story about Hamburg too, but I don’t think I can tell it.
“Copa del Rey in Pamplona, back in Messi’s glory days, Osasuna v. Barça,” reckons Mark Woldin. “Frigid fog. 400 meter altitude. Real cold. Messi came in for last 30 minutes. And scored.”
But could he do it on a balmy Wednesday night in stoke?
“Ok, I’m cheating on two levels,” admits James Funnell, “but I once stood on the sidelines of an All Blacks training run in Dunedin in mid-winter. It was on the coast and sleet was coming in sideways. I had polyprops, thermal jacket, a stadium jacket (those long padded coats that make you look 300lbs+) and was absolutely frozen. Oh, and alone…”
Yes! “23 seconds onwards…” returns David Birtles.
“I’m going back to my teenager years in Milan,” says Giovanni Cafagna. “13th January 1985. My team AC Milan played Como at San Siro. The weather was typical winter Milanese: freezing fog and snowy. Temperature had dropped several degrees below zero the night before, turning the pitch into an ice rink. The match was famously won by the visiting team, who managed to provide the players with special shoes imported from Germany that had sucker soles instead of the canonical studs. While they were keeping the balance and passing the ball and scoring (twice), my team were skidding about like crazy. Meanwhile us spectators on the terraces, were given a taste of the worst snowfall to hit Milan in living memory. In fact, it continued to blanket the city for the whole week, so much so that it literally paralyzed life, and several roofs collapsed, including the now dismantled Palazzetto dello Sport (nicknamed The Big Steak) that stood opposite San Siro, home to Milan’s basketball team Olympia. The Antarctic cold of that week of 1985 left a shivering mark indelibly etched in all those who had experienced it.”
Sounds class. And not unlike the 1954 World Cup final, in which West Germany’s Adidas boots helped them beat overwhelming favourites Hungary in the driving rain.
Fernandes tells TNT that United is all about winning. They need to win games, in this competition there’s no other option and they’ve a long way to go but they’re confident that if they have the right mentality they can win games.
He reckons United reacted quickly to going behind to an unlucky penalty, but a great ball from Casemiro got them back into it and but for the foul, Hojlund would’ve scored.
He thinks confidence is a big thing in football, at United even more so, and they got some after performing well against Arsenal and the players need to understand that they’re there for each other.
He doesn’t reckon United are playing as Amorim wants them to, but they’re getting closer, then he says Hojlund is a striker so wants to score, but the team are behind him and once he gets one the goals will flow.
Spurs and Chelsea are through, but at Ibrox we’re going to extra-time! Join Scott Murray for the evil joy.
A terrific performance from United, who were good even before the red card. Over the two legs they were by far the better side and fully deserve to progress; they meet Lyon in the last eight.
90+4 min I cannot remember the last time I saw a United team look like they were enjoying themselves.
90+2 min “Not only are fancy-dans Arbroath arrogant with their coldest ground claim,” says David Birtles, “they’re also wrong: Buxton FCs Silverlands stadium is at 1000ft the highest in the UK and the most unforgiving. I’m known as the Buxton Wet Boy having been shown on TV FREEZING in our FA Cup tie against Morecambe on BBC1, and I find it frankly insulting.”
I can’t argue with that, but I think we need the footage.
Hojlund and Dorgu try and tee each other up but can’t find a shooting lane, so Hojlund skirts around the outside, here comes another cut-back … and Dalot roofs his finish. This, for the first time, is the football Ruben Amorim wants to see.
Diogo Dalot adds the cherry on top with a fine fourth. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
90 min We’ll have four additional minutes.
89 min Aguerd is booked for a foul.
89 min Change for United, Eriksen on for Zirkzee, who’s been really good.
Goodness me, what a player he is. Dalot picks up a loose bit of control from Oskarsson and swings it forward for Garnacho at inside-right, who holds on waiting for Fernandes on the outside, sliding him in with decent weight. And though he might square to give Hojlund a tap-in, he decides to make sure, nailing a low shot across Remiro for his hat-trick. He’s been brilliant tonight and for the last couple of months; United are going through to face Lyon in the last eight.
Bruno Fernandes scores a hat-trick and United are off to the quarter-finals! Photograph: Nick Potts/PA
And no hat-trick of penalties for Fernandes. Traore curled his foot around the ball and we see Dorgu telling the ref is wasn’t a foul. The game remains alive.
85 min VAR takes a look…
84 min Ball down the line from Garnacho to Dorgu, Traore slides in – I think it’s a good challenge but the ref says foul.
81 min Nice from Heaven, moving it upfield and finding zirkzee on the left. The ball makes its way to garnacho, who lays back for Fernandes – Amorim loves a cut-back – and he plays a gorgeous disguised pass that has Robbie Savage purring. Zirkzee shoots, Remiro tips away, and United sustain the attack! This is not a misprint! Mazraoui retrieves possession down the right, the spare centre-back attacking, he beats two men, the second with a meg, lofts to the far post, and Zirkzee heads back across, Hojlund just unable to tuck home. Excellent passage from United.
8o min Sociedad pump a free-kick into the box, Heaven clears, then again, and Traore shoots, the deflected effort almost finding Oskarsson; he replaced Kubo a few minutes ago, presumably when my daughter disturbed me.
80 min Change for Sociedad, Traore replacing Elustondo.
78 min Change for United: off goes Casemiro, who’s played better than he has since perhaps the 2023 League Cup final; on comes Collyer.
1 of 4
