Chapter 450: Reaching the Europa League Final
After passing the ball, Bruno didn't stay put; he accelerated forward.
Manchester United's counterattack was still in motion!
When Lingard received the ball, there were no other United players around him. He took two steps forward, and Celta Vigo's players immediately swarmed him.
Lingard quickly passed the ball back to Rooney, who had come to support him.
When Rooney got the ball, Bruno had already run up. So, instead of trying to turn and force a breakthrough, Rooney passed the ball back to Bruno.
United's counterattack was swift, and within just a few passes, they had crossed the midfield line. Meanwhile, Celta Vigo's players were hastily retreating to organize their defense.
Radoja rushed towards Bruno, hoping to end United's counterattack there. But Bruno wasn't going to let him succeed.
He had already spotted an open space before receiving the ball, and all he had to do was pass the ball in that direction!
So, he swung his right leg and sent a forward pass!
Just after passing the ball, he jumped to dodge Radoja's sliding tackle!
Many people watching on TV held their breath.
Had Bruno delayed passing the ball by even a second, Radoja's slide would have caught him!
...
Bruno dodged Radoja's tackle, but the focus was on where the ball went.
The camera followed the ball, and everyone saw Rashford receive it in a vast open space!
He was less than five meters from the penalty area, with only Celta Vigo's goalkeeper Álvarez ahead of him. The nearest defender, Cabral, was ten meters away!
It was a perfect opportunity!
"Rashford!!"
Gary Lineker shouted excitedly as the Manchester United forward drove the ball into the penalty area.
"The sixty-seventh minute, and Rashford has another chance to seal the game!"
Álvarez abandoned his goal and rushed towards Rashford. Cabral also turned to chase him, and it seemed the three would converge in the penalty area.
But Rashford didn't wait. As soon as he entered the box, he took a shot!
It wasn't a powerful strike but a lob!
The ball sailed over Álvarez's head and, under Cabral's watch, dipped into Celta Vigo's goal!
...
"1-0!! Rashford! Rashford!!"
A massive cheer erupted at Old Trafford.
The stadium announcer shouted, "Goal! We're leading Celta Vigo 2-0 on aggregate! The scorer is Marcus—"
"Rashford!!" the 74,000 Manchester United fans roared, passionately shouting Rashford's name.
After scoring, Rashford excitedly waved his arms, matching the rhythm of the fans' cheers.
Then Bruno, Lingard, Rooney, and other teammates ran over to celebrate the goal with him.
Behind the celebrating United players were the dejected Celta Vigo players.
Their primary goal in this match was to score; the second was to avoid conceding. Now, neither task was accomplished...
They still had time to achieve the first goal, but the second task was a complete failure.
The situation was now very unfavorable for Celta Vigo. They not only had to avoid conceding more goals but also had to score twice. If they could tie the aggregate score, they would advance on away goals.
But could they really score two goals in the remaining twenty minutes?
Guidetti, who had made bold statements before the match, still hadn't put on a convincing performance.
...
After the goal, United played with renewed spirit. Even though Celta Vigo pressed hard, United remained calm and knew how to play.
This difference in mentality directly influenced the players' performance on the field.
In the last twenty minutes, Celta Vigo players grew increasingly anxious as they edged closer to elimination.
United, on the other hand, comfortably fell back to defend and counterattack, even if the counterattacks didn't threaten Celta Vigo's goal, they still consumed valuable time.
As the United fans sang, time ticked away.
Despite Berizzo using all his substitutions, he couldn't change the outcome.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the score remained 1-0.
...
"Game over! 1-0! United advances to the Europa League final with a 2-0 aggregate score!"
"This is the first time in six years that United has reached a European final, and the first time in their history they've made it to the Europa League final!"
"Meanwhile, the other semifinal has concluded. Although Lyon fought back with a 3-1 home victory against Ajax, the deficit from the first leg was too large. They lost 4-5 on aggregate. So, the Europa League final in Stockholm will see Manchester United and Ajax, two major clubs, compete for the title!"
"Mourinho is ecstatic, wildly celebrating on the sideline, waving a United scarf and shouting. His reaction is understandable; he strategically sacrificed the league match against Arsenal for the Europa League, which cost United the chance to lift their 14th Premier League trophy at the Emirates and brought him criticism..."
Although the scoreline didn't reflect it, Rashford's goal was crucial. The match stats showed that Celta Vigo had many opportunities to score, but their forwards, led by Guidetti and Aspas, couldn't capitalize. Former City youth and Liverpool striker both failed to prevent United from reaching the Europa League final.
Mourinho's overly cautious tactics nearly jeopardized United, putting him under immense pressure.
...
United's players were ecstatic after eliminating Celta Vigo, celebrating on the field, with Bruno receiving the most hugs as the match's key player.
In the first half, when United were under pressure, his passes stabilized the game. In the second half, he orchestrated the quick counterattack and assisted Rashford for the only goal.
Rooney hugged Bruno, happily shouting in his ear, "Finals! Finals! We're in the Europa League final!"
Bruno patted his back, laughing, "Look at you, getting all excited. It's just the finals!"
"Hey! This is the third final we've reached this season!" Rooney grinned.
Bruno said, "I told you, dreams are worth having, just in case they come true!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Rooney nodded repeatedly.
"What dreams?" Lingard asked, curious about their joyful conversation.
"About winning four titles, Jesse," Rooney replied happily.
This season, Rooney had limited opportunities under Mourinho. Although only 31, he knew his chances at United were dwindling and had decided to leave after the season.
Rooney's biggest hope was to leave with another league title, equaling Beckham's six Premier League titles and becoming the fifth player in history to achieve this.
His confidence came from United's strong position at the top of the Premier League. Earlier, United's League Cup victory was a pleasant surprise for Rooney.
Then, United reached the FA Cup final, giving him another hope.
Now, with United in the Europa League final, Rooney was ecstatic.
...
United had reached the semifinals of European competitions three times recently and twice progressed to win the title, boosting their confidence. Mourinho admitted sacrificing the Premier League for the Europa League.
"The most important thing is winning a trophy. Reaching the Europa League final gives us a chance to win and end the season perfectly."
"Of course, I must thank the players for their excellent early-season performances, which allowed me to make such decisions. Without a comfortable lead, my choices would have been different."
United's outstanding season was due to successful transfers last summer.
However, as the season progressed, despite United's deep squad, constant injuries and multi-front battles made every match a struggle for Mourinho. Winning the Europa League, among other titles, would be the greatest gift for both the departing Rooney and Mourinho.
Perhaps eliminating Celta Vigo and reaching the Europa League final excited the players too much. They were already thinking about winning the Europa League and other potential trophies, which showed in their league match against Tottenham. The players seemed distracted, and despite high spirits and some squad rotation, United lost 1-2 at White Hart Lane.
(End of the chapter)
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