In the early morning of January 5 (Vietnam time), Man United visited Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League 2024-2025 semi-final.
From the first minutes, Man United showed dominance, although Garnacho's early goal was disallowed for offside. However, the continuous pressure from the English representative quickly paid off when Casemiro opened the scoring with an accurate header from a corner kick in the 30th minute.
The match became tense after that with many controversial situations in the penalty area. VAR once again stepped in and determined that Dani Vivian had fouled Garnacho, Man United was awarded a penalty, while Athletic Bilbao had to play with one less player from the 35th minute. On the 11m mark, Bruno Fernandes made no mistake to increase the score to 2-0.
Before the end of the first half, Bruno continued to shine with a cool finish after a quick counter-attack, putting Man United ahead by 3 goals when entering the break.
In the second half, although Athletic Bilbao made many personnel adjustments, they were still helpless against Man United's solid defense. The away team continued to create many opportunities, including 2 shots into the goal from Mazraoui and Casemiro. Bruno Fernandes almost scored a hat-trick in the 81st minute but was brushed off by excellent goalkeeper Agirrezabala.
The match ended with a score of 3-0 in favor of Man United. In addition, there are 8 yellow cards and 1 red card, showing that the heat does not only come from the score.
With an overwhelming victory and a clean sheet away from home, Man United has a huge advantage before the return match. Bruno Fernandes' brilliant form has helped Ruben Amorim's team get closer to the Europa League final and continue to nurture the hope of conquering the European title this season.
