Europa League 2024-25: Hojlund double earns Manchester United win at Viktoria Plzen; Bilbao beats Fenerbahce
Forward Rasmus Hojlund scored twice to allow Manchester United to come back from a goal down and get a 2-1 win at six-times Czech champion Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League 2024-25 on Thursday.
Substitute Hojlund needed just six minutes on the pitch to cancel out an early second-half opener by Plzen forward Matej Vydra before sealing the win with another strike just before fulltime for United’s third consecutive win in the competition.
United, who remains unbeaten after six games, provisionally moved up to fifth in the standings on 12 points as it continues to eye up an automatic qualification spot into the last 16.
Coming on the back of two Premier League defeats against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, United survived an initial spell of pressure from the host, who had conceded just once in its previous 12 European home games.
Plzen kept its defence compact against the determined visitor in Ruben Amorim’s first European away game as United boss, and the game was goalless at the break.
Vydra put the host in front just after the restart, shooting into the middle of the net after Pavel Sulc intercepted a poor pass from United goalkeeper Andre Onana and cut the ball back to his teammate.
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However, its joy was short-lived as Danish striker Hojlund — who came on for Marcus Rashford in the 56th minute — levelled just after the hour mark, scoring from close range with a tap-in.
Amad Diallo collected a pass from Antony on the right flank and struck from a tight angle, an effort which was blocked before Hojlund sent the rebound into an empty net.
Neither side wanted to settle for a draw and Hojlund added a second goal in the 88th minute, scoring after receiving the ball from a neat, low free kick from captain Bruno Fernandes to condemn Plzen to its first defeat in the competition.
United, who visits Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, next host Rangers on January 23 before its final league-phase fixture at Steaua Bucharest a week later.
BILBAO FLYING HIGH
Athletic Bilbao won 2-0 at Fenerbahce through a first-half brace by midfielder Inaki Williams on Wednesday after Jose Mourinho’s side was left with 10 men in the 69th minute following a second yellow card for defender Mert Muldur.
It went into the game at the top of the standings with 16 points following five consecutive wins and its opening 1-1 draw at AS Roma.
Roma beat Portugal’s Sporting Braga 3-0 on Thursday, with Lorenzo Pellegrini putting the host in front after 10 minutes before defender Saud Abdulhamid doubled the lead just after the break and Mario Hermoso sealed the win in stoppage time.
Swedish side Malmo, near the bottom of the table, held Galatasaray, who started the day in fourth, to a last-gasp 2-2 home draw as Sergio Pena found the net in stoppage time after Elias Jelert and Yunus Akgun had scored for the visitors following Erik Botheim’s opener.
Greece’s PAOK thrashed Ferencvaros 5-0 at home while Romania’s Steaua Bucharest was held goalless at Hoffenheim.
