Rashford’s Finishing Touch Helps Manchester United Sink Granada

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It was one touch but it was glorious one. Half an hour into this match, Marcus Rashford watched the ball fall through the night sky, travelling sixty, seventy yards to where he was running. He caught it on his toe, tamed it, and turned it into the only goal, sending it beyond Rui Silva and Manchester United into a position from which they went on to secure a result with which they will should now progress to the semi-final.

For almost an hour the goal Rashford appeared set to be the only one scored on a historic occasion for the hosts, but then with two minutes to go, the game but not the tie slipping away from Granada, Bruno Fernandes slipped a penalty under Silva’s body that should be a safe passage for Ole Gunnar Solksjær’s side. If there is a team that have repeatedly defied the odds it is Granada, but even they will not like their chances of overturning a 2-0 defeat at home.

It was one touch but it was glorious one. Half an hour into this match, Marcus Rashford watched the ball fall through the night sky, travelling sixty, seventy yards to where he was running. He caught it on his toe, tamed it, and turned it into the only goal, sending it beyond Rui Silva and Manchester United into a position from which they went on to secure a result with which they will should now progress to the semi-final.

For almost an hour the goal Rashford appeared set to be the only one scored on a historic occasion for the hosts, but then with two minutes to go, the game but not the tie slipping away from Granada, Bruno Fernandes slipped a penalty under Silva’s body that should be a safe passage for Ole Gunnar Solksjær’s side. If there is a team that have repeatedly defied the odds it is Granada, but even they will not like their chances of overturning a 2-0 defeat at home.

Granada reacted, Ángel Montoro’s clipped deliveries invariably the most incisive of their passes, while the intensity rose too, a bit edge entering the game. Yangel Herrera hit the post, Soldado striking wide, and from a long deep corner routine, Kenedy struck a wonderfully clean volley that De Gea gathered.

The teams were out too early for the second, forced to wait for the referee as Smoke on the Water belted out. When they did start, Kenedy fired off another clean, hard shot from outside the area that De Gea dealt with. Maguire then ran through further than he should have been allowed and struck wide before, a moment later, Yangel flicked the ball over his head, leaving him trailing well behind as he dashed towards the area but failed to find Soldado. The Spaniard then sliced wide.

Kenedy continued to fire off shots, De Gea continued to deal with them, and the match continued to be one of few truly clear opportunities even though Granada had taken something of a step forward. Yangel, dynamic and increasingly daring too, turned and shot over before almost slipping in Neva.

By then, Rashford had made way for Cavani, the threat beyond the defence gone almost entirely. Pogba departed too, replaced by Matic. Granada then turned to Dimitri Foulquier and DarwÌn MachÌs. Granada had to go for this, but cautiously: on the touchline, Diego MartÌnez was calling for his players to use their heads. They also tended to find Scott McTominay standing before them. They could feel time slipping away but not yet the tie, they found the referee pointing the spot and, in all probability, the end of the road.

GUARDIAN UK

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