Manchester United’s Europa League campaign finally got off to a winning start as they defeated Greek side PAOK 2-0 at Old Trafford. After three consecutive draws, the Red Devils were desperate for a victory to boost their morale and standings in the group.
The first half was a cagey affair, with PAOK looking the more threatening side. Senegalese forward Mamadou Camara tested goalkeeper Andre Onana with a powerful shot, but the Cameroonian was equal to the task. United struggled to create clear-cut chances, with their only real opportunity coming from a Bruno Fernandes free-kick that went just wide.
However, the second half was a different story. United came out with renewed vigor and took the lead in the 50th minute. Fernandes whipped in a cross from the left, and Amad Diallo rose highest to head the ball into the bottom corner.
PAOK had a golden chance to equalize in the 64th minute when Taril Tissoudali found himself one-on-one with Onana. However, the Moroccan forward hesitated and allowed Onana to make a crucial save.
United made the most of their reprieve and doubled their lead in the 77th minute. Diallo dispossessed Baba Rahman and surged into the PAOK box. He held off the defender’s challenge and curled a shot into the far corner, taking a slight deflection on its way in.
The goal sealed the victory for United, who moved up to 15th in the Europa League standings with six points from four matches. Diallo was understandably delighted with his performance, saying, “It’s been a long time since we won in Europe. Today we showed why we are one of the best teams. It was important to win today. It is important to score every time. This season I have been unlucky so I am happy to score two today. But the most important thing was to win.”
Interim manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy was also pleased with the result, but admitted that his team’s first-half performance was “pretty poor.” He said, “The second half was better. That was clear. (Amad) made a difference today because of his goals but he was very sharp. Well done to him, good game. Positionally we weren’t good in the first half. We were much better at that in the second half.”
