Manchester United sealed a vital Europa League win when defeating Viktoria Plzen 2-1 on Thursday evening – their first European victory on foreign soil for almost 20 months.
Prior to last night, the most recent instance where the Reds had travelled abroad and returned with all three points came all the way back in March 2023 against Real Betis. While such a feat may be deemed relatively insignificant to supporters, it’s the kind of accomplishment that will assure Ruben Amorim he’s on the right track with this tumultuously-faring side.
They were certainly made to work for it on the night, too. A cagey first half saw several Reds’ performances – just like the several bookmakers that allow Kenyans to place their football wagers, which you can check out by clicking the link – fall drastically below the standards required.
Amorim looked exasperated on the touchline as he barked orders at his men to keep up with the press without letting the hosts slip through any gaps left in the middle of the park.
Both sides had failed to break the deadlock after 45 minutes played until Andre Onana gifted Plzen their opener just moments after the interval; he tried – and subsequently failed – to play out from the back, instead passing the ball directly to Pavel Sulc, who was able to play in Matej Vydra for one of the easiest goals of his career to date.
Rasmus Hojlund bags his sixth and seventh goals of 24/25
Plzen held their lead for 14 minutes, after which Rasmus Hojlund found himself in the right place at the right time to capitalise on Amad Diallo’s parried shot following a scintillating driven run from the Ivorian, who was again one of United’s brightest sparks throughout the contest.
In the dying embers of the affair, Bruno Fernandes was up to his usual magnificent, inventive tricks when he utilised a late set-piece to directly set Hojlund through on goal rather than playing a pass over the top, which is, seemingly, what Plzen were anticipating.
The 21-year-old took a touch and brushed off his opponent before converting the chance in clinical fashion, adding a seventh goal to his tally for the campaign across all competitions.
From there, all that was left for the Reds to do was to avoid conceding in injury time, and that they – luckily – did. They end matchweek six sat seventh-placed in the new-look UEL standings and are yet to sustain defeat in the competition. Finishing in the top eight would ensure automatic progression to the next stage and, therefore, avoid any unnecessary fixture congestion in the form of play-offs next year.
