In the early morning of November 29, Man United faced Bodo/Glimt in the 5th round of Europa League. Right from the first attack, Man United scored the opening goal. Starting from a clumsy return from goalkeeper Nikita Khaikin, striker Hojlund quickly put pressure before Garnacho finished into an empty net.
Thinking that the "Red Devils" will have an easy match, surprisingly, Bodo/Glimt rose up with 2 goals in just 4 minutes.
Midfielder Hakon Evjen's shot on the edge of the penalty area did not give goalkeeper Onana any chance to block it. Then, it was striker Philip Zinckernagel's turn to easily remove Tyrell Malacia's marking and finish neatly through the legs of the Man United goalkeeper.
This was Tyrell Malacia's first match after a serious knee injury, since May 28, 2023. The second goal showed that the 25-year-old defender had not reached his best physical condition after being absent for 18 months.
At this time, many fans present at Old Trafford were thinking of a bad prospect for their home team. However, coach Amorim remained calm, quickly adjusting and changing his players' approach.
This was concretized by Hojlund's equalizer in the final minutes of the first half. After a pass like a set piece from defender Noussair Mazraoui, the Danish striker controlled the ball neatly and swung his leg to finish into the top of the net.
In the 50th minute, Hojlund sealed the day of sublime play with a close-range tap-in from Manuel Ugarte's cross. In the following minutes, Man United proactively slowed down and focused on defense.
However, they exposed many gaps for the opponent to exploit. If it were not for the excellence of goalkeeper Onana and the Bodo/Glimt players who knew how to take advantage of the opportunity, Man United could not have kept 3 points in the final minutes of the match.
According to the English Guardian, Man United had an unconvincing victory. Striker Hojlund had a brilliant performance, but his teammates like Garnacho and Mason Mount still wasted many opportunities, almost costing the home team.
With two consecutive victories in the Europa League, Man United is currently in 12th place, the same position in the Premier League. The "Red Devils" are only one point away from the top 8 and have many opportunities to go straight to 1/8. Because in the last 3 rounds, they only have to meet Viktoria Plzen, Rangers and FCSB respectively.
