The teams of the Spanish League did not give the stature in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Europa League. Betis, who succumbed at Old Trafford (4-1), and Real Sociedad, who conceded an excessive 2-0 loss in Rome, were left on the ropes, while Sevilla (2-0 at Fenerbahçe) will play the pass in Istanbul after saving a deplorable match at a time of deep crisis.
Real Sociedad saw its excellent career in the Europa League cut short (it led group E with 5 wins and one loss) when it fell at the Olímpico in Rome in the first leg of the round of 16 against José Mourinho’s team. The 2-0, with the second goal with three minutes to go, was an excessive punishment that leaves the classification uphill for the San Sebastian team in Anoeta on March 16 in the second leg.
In an unprecedented duel in Europe, Real Sociedad found themselves a very rocky team, in true Mourinho style. Roma is fourth in the Italian Serie A, one point behind Lazio and 3 behind the second, Inter. It is showing a solid team, which concedes very little (the 4th least thrashed), and which has won seven of the last eight games in its fiefdom, an Olympic stadium that was a caldera.
It was difficult for the Basque team to pierce the Roman lines, well established, in order, waiting behind, crouching, dense, tight ranks, ready to steal and run. And so came Roma’s first goal, already in the 13th minute, by El Shaarawy. He recovered on the right side, Dybala crossed the field like an exhalation, a dizzying transition, he passed Abraham to the right, who with a twist left Zubeldia nailed and put a cross to the far post, where El Shaarawy finished off acrobatically with almost no angle. A goal from the Mourinhista manual.
And following the script of the Portuguese coach, Roma backed down and Real put a siege on the Italian goal. The first txuri urdin approach was a free kick by Illarramendi (m.16) that Rui Patricio stopped without problems. He was encouraged from there, and Take Kubo had the best chance at 21 minutes when he stood alone before Patricio and sent to the post. Five minutes later, Zubeldia joined the attack to finish off a cross from Gorosabel into the clouds. Although the greatest danger was posed by Smalling involuntarily finishing off a center from San Sebastian that went for a corner (m. 28).
Half an hour into the game, the Roman team timidly stretched with another counter culminating in a shot from Dybala that Pellegrini deflected high. The biggest scare was given by Abraham when he blocked Remiro’s played start with his foot; his hindering of the service was about to enter the goal (m. 42).
After passing through the changing rooms, Real Sociedad came out ready to achieve a tie. He returned to the plan of possession of the ball against a withdrawn Roma, and soon Diego Rico enjoyed a good opportunity in a powerful shot with his left foot that was saved spectacularly by Rui Patricio (m. 56).
The minutes were consumed without appearing more signs of danger from San Sebastian, so Imanol Alguacil made a move. He brought on Oyarzabal for a missing Sorloth, and later in a double substitution he brought on Brais Mendes and Cho looking for more finishing and speed.
The change took effect in the form of the best occasion for Real. Brais Mendes put in a center from the front that Mikel Merino, winning the back of the Roman defense, finished off with the cane and shot wide (m. 83). The Royal had it.
And from the possible 1-1 that the Basque team was looking for 2-0. From a set piece, Kumbulla finished off with a header entering like a shell (m. 87), and completely free of mark, a corner kick served to the far post by Dybala. An excessive punishment for a Real Sociedad that proposed more football and sought more goals than a stingy Roma, but effective: three shots on goal, two goals.
“We haven’t had a bad game, they have been more forceful in both areas. We haven’t had any very clear chances, perhaps only Merino’s. But we still have the turn to try to come back. Between all of us we’ll take the game forward”, he commented Asier Illarramendi. “We already knew that they would lock themselves in and that they would take advantage of any opportunity, but we lacked forcefulness in both areas”, commented the captain.
At Old Trafford, with a frozen thermometer and heavy snowfall, Manchester United avenged Liverpool’s 7-0 defeat with a hard-fought 4-1 win over Betis, who dreamed of the feat for 20 minutes.
In a dizzying counterattack, Rashford (m. 6) soon opened the account by picking up a bad clearance from Luiz Felipe and shooting Bravo with a violent ball (1-0); it was the Englishman’s fifth goal in seven games in Europe.
Betis did not break down or intimidate with the atmosphere of the theater of dreams and after 32 minutes they equalized the duel with a great goal from Ayoze, who nailed a cross shot from the corner of the area, adjusted to the base of the post, after a Juanmi center.
Betic hopes were melted in 20 minutes, which Antony took to return the lead to Manchester United with a superb goal (2-1). In a classic move by the Brazilian, heeled down the right flank, he hit a left-footed shot from outside to inside that slipped through the top corner.
Six minutes later, Bruno Fernandes finished off Betis (3-1) with a precise header to the near post from a corner served by Shaw. And in the final stretch, Weghorst scored 4-1 by picking up a rebound (m. 84).
Three goals behind that are a heavy ballast for the return at Benito Villamarín.
At the Sánchez Pizjuán, with the crisis devouring Sevilla (17th in the League, flirting with relegation, after two straight defeats, shareholding war with Del Nido and threat of judicial administrator), Jorge Sampaoli’s deranged team saved themselves the ridiculous with a goal from Joan Jordán (m. 56) and another from Lamela at the end (m. 85) that keeps the Andalusians alive.
A result that could be fair for the second leg in Istanbul, taking into account that the Sevilla team played a terrible game and could have been practically eliminated against a Fenerbahçe team that forgave many occasions.