After three consecutive draws in Europe, Manchester United got their first of the ongoing Europa League campaign, with a 2-0 win vs Greek side PAOK at Old Trafford. The visitors were more threatening in the first-half with Camara testing goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Then in the second-half, United were a motivated side, as Amad Diallo scored a brace to seal a 2-0 win.
Before the match, Alejandro Garnacho had an altercation with a fan outside Old Trafford. The Argentine was signing autographs and posing for photographs. Out of the blue, one fan, while recording the winger, said, “pass better today, score a goal and work on your first touch as well, yeah?”
Initially, it looked like Garnacho ignored the fan, but before leaving he reacted, “Why are you not playing, man?”
Diallo scored the first goal in the 50th-minute, heading in a cross from Bruno Fernandes into the bottom corner. PAOK had an excellent chance to equalise in the 64th-minute but Taril Tissoudali failed to convert it past Onana. Then Diallo made it 2-0 in the 77th-minute, as he dispossessed Baba Rahman, and held off the defender’s challenge to surge into the opposition box to send a curling shot, which took a slight deflection into the far corner.
After the win, United are 15th in the Europa League standings, with six points from four matches.
Speaking after the match, Diallo said, “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.”
Meanwhile, interim manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy said, “It was a pretty poor first half if I’m being nice. 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,” he added.
