Manchester United get their chance to enter the Champions League by qualifying for Europa League final!
It seems Jose Mourinho's plan is still alive as Manchester United somehow got past Celta Vigo with the game ending in a 1-1 draw. This then got United a ticket to the Europa League Final where they are to face Ajax, who beat Lyon 5-4 on aggregate, with today's game ending at 3-1, with Lyon scoring 3 goals.
This is a really important win for this Manchester United side since they are not having much luck getting into the top four position in the Premier League at the moment., having been beaten in their last encounter with Arsenal 2 goals to 0.
Mourinho, however, has all along been having his eyes set on the Europa League as a way to earn them a ticket to the Champions League; provided they win the Europa Cup. That plus if they do get to win the Europa Cup there is not only a cup in it for them but also a check.
The club which wins the final is expected to earn above 15 million Euros plus a share from the market pool. The market pool has 160 million Euros in it to be split among clubs participating from a given association. Winners will also get a share of the ticket revenue from the final.
Action During the Match?
Manchester United drew first blood in their match against Celta Vigo, with Marcus Rashford providing an essential assist for Marouane Fellaini who got his head at the end of the pass and scored a simple header next to the right edge of the post.
This goal came in the 16th minute in the match, quite an early crucial goal for United. The goal also went a long way in changing the outlook of Manchester United fans when it comes to Fellaini.
Celta Vigo did have numerous opportunities throughout the game. They even let a crucial game-changing opportunity slide when they didn't take the opportunity to shoot during a time of miscommunications in the United Defence, in the last minute of gameplay.
I'd like to say that Celta Vigo's lack of precision came to their aid in the late stages of the game, when they got a chance, this time from a corner and Facundo Roncaglia headed it past Romero into the corner of the net.This gave Vigo a goal in the 83rd minute, making it his first goal in nine matches.
Bailly receives a red card, won't play in final.
Jose Mourinho called the action that Bailly did barely two minutes from the 90th minute, "Naive". Bailly among some other United and Vigo players were caught in an altercation that left both United's Bailly and Vigo's Facundo Roncaglia with red cards. The red card, however, will be felt more by the United side as they will have to play the final without him. Fortunately, Mourinho has some subs to choose from, albeit Bailly's skill will be missed in the final.
The Europa League Final.
The 2016/17 Europa League Final is going to be held in Stockholm Friends Arena on Wednesday 24th May at 20:45 CET. This will be a match of great importance to not only the players playing it and the coaches and support staff but also the faithful fans and football junkies all around the world. Hoping for a great intriguing game.