Manchester United Silence After Poznan Dances

The 1-1 draw at Reale Arena Stadium, San Sebastian, in the early hours of Friday (7/3/2025) WIB once again highlighted MU's unpredictable performance. They were able to play well for nearly the entire match, only to suddenly lose direction due to a single moment from the opposing team.

Although the second leg of the Europa League last-16 tie will be held at Old Trafford, there is no guarantee that the away result will be in the Red Devils' favor. "You never know what you're going to get from this United team," United legend Paul Scholes told TNT Sports.

Sociedad seemed to play without direction from the first minute until the middle of the second half. They were more dominant in ball possession but always appeared confused when entering the final third. The absence of Spanish national team midfielder Martin Zubimendi due to illness was quite noticeable.

The issue of hosting in that match was the same as what has been experienced throughout this season. Sociedad has been lacking creativity and sharpness in the attacking line. In this season's Spanish League alone, they rank third from the bottom in terms of goal production (23 goals from 26 matches).

MU, playing with a 3-4-3 formation that could shift into five defenders in a flat line when out of possession, faced no difficulties in defense. They defended quite deep and relied on rapid counterattacks. Winger Alejandro Garnacho became a key weapon during transitions.

Coach Ruben Amorim's plan was successfully executed for more than the first hour. They created numerous opportunities from counterattacks, eventually taking the lead through forward Joshua Zirkzee in the 57th minute. The visiting team increasingly took control of the game after gaining the advantage.

Disaster struck with 20 minutes of normal time remaining. Sociedad was awarded a penalty after a review by the video assistant referee (VAR). MU captain Bruno Fernandes touched the ball in the penalty box during a corner kick situation. The penalty was immediately converted by forward Mikel Oyarzabal.

With the score level, the home fans were “noisy” again. Around 30,000 spectators immediately turned around, hugged each other, and jumped up and down to do the Poznan dance. “You could feel it in the game, the momentum had shifted,” Amorim said.

Sociedad turned the momentum around. Two substitutes in attack, Orri Oskarsson and Sheraldo Becker, managed to disrupt the United defense. Two chances from Oskarsson in the final ten minutes almost put the hosts ahead.

MU actually lost their identity. The counter-attacks that terrorized Sociedad's "fortress" were no longer visible. They lost the ball so easily when they wanted to start the transition. The number of MU shots, which amounted to 12 times during 70 minutes, only increased once after the equalizer.

"If you saw the reaction of the stadium (to their goal) and the way they pressed after that, it was clear they needed it. We played against a good team, it wasn't easy. But we should have scored more than one goal," Zirkzee said.

The visitors were left to rue a number of missed chances in the opening hour. Amorim said there were a lot of poor decisions in the final third. They should have killed the game off earlier if they had been more than a goal up.

Rather than a mentality issue, Amorim highlighted more about the physical issues of his team. "Our team was really tired in the last 30 minutes and you could feel it. We have to be more prepared at Old Trafford because the pressure will definitely be on our shoulders," explained the coach.

As is known, playing at Old Trafford Stadium is not a profitable thing for MU this season. Fernandes and his colleagues have experienced eight defeats at home throughout this season, including when they were eliminated by Fulham in the last 16 of the FA Cup.

Sociedad head coach Imanol Alguacil said his team had been given a second life. "That's what we wanted to stay in this game (on the way to Old Trafford). We have to win there now, which we have done before (in 2022)," he said. (AP/REUTERS)