Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo were on target as Manchester United confirmed their place in the Europa League last 16 with a 2-0 win at FCSB. (More Football News)
Dalot tapped in a precise cross by Mainoo on the hour mark and Mainoo netted eight minuꦺtes later forඣ a 2-0 victory over Romanian champion FCSB in Bucharest
Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo were on target as Manchester United confirmed their place in the Europa League last 16 with a 2-0 win at FCSB. (More Football News)
The Red Devils came to life after a turgid first 45 minutes at Arena Nationala, with Dalot finishing from Mainoo's wicked low ball🐽.
Provider turned goalscorer when Mainoo brilliantly guided in from Alejandro Garnacho's centre in a game where United twic🎃e struck the woodwork and the hosts also hit the crossbar.
United were already ex🌄tremely likely to go directly to the last-16 stage and three points in Bucharest means they finish third in the league-phase standings.
Mihai Popescu guided wide from Risto Radඣunovic's free-kick when he ought to have scored before Mainoo blasted over from 12 yards after good work from Rasmus Hojlund, in an otherwise tepid first half.
Garnacho, on as a second-half substitute, pounced on a loose back pass immediately after the restart but could only clip the right post when one-on-one with Stefan Tarnovan🐬u.
Bruno Fernandes then smashed the crossbar with a thunderous 35-yaꦯrd drive before United made the breakthrough. A quick Amad Diallo throw-in from the right was played brilliantly across the fꦺace of goal by Mainoo and tapped in by Dalot.
D💃aniel Birligea almost caught the visitors cold with a stunning long-range effort that whacked the underside of t🐭he bar – Florin Tanase headed the rebound wastefully wide but was offside anyway.
United took control of the game when Garnacho's low centre from the left was slotted into th❀e bottom-right corner from 12 yards by Mainoo, and they saw it out in relative comfort.
Data Debrief: Mainoo emulates Rooney
Mainoo was a clear dangerma🐭n for United throughout in Bucharest and finished with a goal and an assist on his first major European start.
He becomes the🌜 first player to do that for the Red Devils since Wayne Rooney, the club's record goalscorer, did so back in September 2004 against Fenerbahce.
Victory here represeꦜnted a fifth straight win in the Europa League for United, having last put together as many in Europe's secondary competition betwe⛦en September 15 and November 3, 2022.
FCSB ensured a play-off spot in 11th, ඣbut they failed to score in four of their league-phase🃏 games. Only Ludogorets and Dynamo Kyiv (both five) have failed to score more often in the Europa League this season.