United 2 Athletic Bilbao 3
Rooney 2 Llorente 44 De Marcos 72 Muniain 90 Rooney 92(pen)
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Sometimes I love football.
What an amazing match!
Bilbao gave Manchester United a good hiding and could have won 5-1.
On Wednesday I was sick of football, 150% fed up with it.
But on Friday I have to salute the green whirlwind of Bilbao, which ripped the red devils of Manchester to shreds.
Bilbao were like Udinese with end product.
Speed, energetic teamwork in attack and defence, penetration and end product : fierce shots on target clawed away by David De Gea, and three goals.
One goal late in the first half, two late in the second.
The first goal was scored by Rooney in 22. Alow shot by Hernandez was parried to give him a tap-in. A sweet one-yard pass by Ryan Giggs found the Mexican in the box.Yes, a one-yard pass=skill.
“Against the run of play!” protested Mrs Palmer.
Bilbao were far better organised and far more skilful.
How could megabrand Manchester United be so technically inferior to Bilbao?
So much of United’s energy was wasted, while 90% of Bilbao’s energy was productive.
WHAT A CONTRAST!!
Ashley Young is rubbish on the right. At Villa, he was always crap on the right.
In 44, Phil Jones let Llorente run past him to score with a power header from eight yards after a neat move on the right flank.
1-1 at half-time.
Llorente lashed one into the side-netting in 52 and then smashed another shot which De Gea clawed away in 53.
After an 11-pass move, De Marcos eventually buried a neat little lob for 1-2. He was offside but a Bilbao goal was long overdue by then.
Bizarrely, German ref Mr Meyer gave a free-kick against Evra for passing the ball while wearing only one boot. The United players looked bemused and Evra argued for far too long and didn\’t regain his position.
When the long free kick went upfield, the United defending was the worst you will ever see by them : Jones and Evans went for the same ball, Jones misheaded it on to De Marcos and De Gea dived to his right to palm his shot away as Muniain ran in behind the braindead ball-watching Rafael.
The Brazilian just stood there waiting for his keeper to dive on the loose ball ! No defensive instinct in him at all.
Lee Dixon would have cleared that ball blindfolded. So would Gary Neville.
That comedy of errors should be in a Uefa Coaching DVD on How Not To Defend.
Marco Bielsa\’s team did him proud.
A shame about that silly handball on the edge of the box in stoppage time. Rooney smashed the penalty into the back of the next for 2-3
Ryan Giggs was amazing in his 146th European appearance. But United will need George Best in Bilbao as well as Giggs.
When Barcelona drew 2-2 there this season, Pep Guardiola said, “They came at us like beasts.â€
It wasn’t that I wanted United to lose. It was just fun to watch such a thrilling match. The fitness, appetite and sustained sprinting of Bilbao lasted 80 mimutes and after that they still matched United.
Sir Alex showed his priorities by bringing on Carrick, not Ferdinand, for Smalling. Then Anderson, not Scholes, replaced Park. He wants to beat the noisy neighbours in the title race.
The Manchesters, knocked out in the Group Stages of the Champions League, are now scrambling in the Europa Nobodies League.
Earlier I watched a bit of Sporting Lisbon and Citeh were dire, so I switched it off and we had dinner at half-time and I predicted Sporting would win 1-0. I saw the last 15 minutes but I still haven’t seen the goal, where Hart was at fault. If I can’t be bothered to watch a game, I can\’t be bothered to bet on it.
Before the United kick off, I backed Over 2.5/3 goals. At half-time when it was 1-1, I backed NEXT TEAM TO SCORE : Athletic Bilbao.
That was obvious. Bilbao should have been 3-1 up by then.