Manchester United Leave One Foot at San Mames

BILBAO, FRIDAY - Manchester United dimmed the hopes of Athletic Bilbao, who dreamed of playing in front of their home crowd at San Mames Stadium during the Europa League final. With a convincing away victory of three goals to none, MU seems to have reserved a spot to return to compete at San Mames in the near future.

The pinnacle match of this season's tournament will be held at San Mames, in the city of Bilbao, Spain. Imagine how perfect it would be if Bilbao managed to reach the final and celebrate the championship party at home. However, that ideal world was abruptly shattered by MU in the first semifinal match, Friday (2/5/2025) early morning WIB.

At the Bilbao headquarters, MU secured a 3-0 victory against the home team, which played with ten players since the 35th minute. Bruno Fernandes and his teammates only needed to maintain that significant lead during the return match at Old Trafford Stadium. They are just 90 minutes away from returning to San Mames at the end of May.

"All the pressure is on us right now. Everyone certainly hopes that we will make it to the final. So, we must ensure that we can perform like we did today again next week. It was a great night for us. One foot is already in the final, but the battle is not over," said Harry Maguire, the veteran defender of MU.

The world truly felt upside down for Bilbao. They dominated the match during the first 20 minutes, including creating two golden opportunities through winger Inaki Williams and midfielder Alex Berenguer. After squandering their chances, they unexpectedly conceded first through a goal from the visiting team.

Sometimes Harry faces difficult moments (with the team in recent years), but he always does whatever it takes for the good of the team.

The initiator of the opening goal for MU was Maguire, who suddenly found himself in a wing position during a set-piece situation. Maguire seemed to unleash his hidden abilities. He "danced" in the corner of the opponent's field and then delivered a cross into the penalty area. That pass became a pre-assist that culminated in a header goal by midfielder Casemiro.

Maguire has even been nicknamed "Harrydinho," referring to the legendary footballer Ronaldinho, by MU fans on social media. In the previous Europa League match, the defender also became MU's hero with a winning goal in the final minutes against Lyon. At that time, Casemiro provided the assist.

"He is a good wing attacker," said MU Head Coach Ruben Amorim jokingly when asked about Maguire's actions. "Sometimes Harry faces difficult moments (with the team in recent years), but he always does whatever it takes for the good of this team," he continued.

A major disaster struck Bilbao just five minutes after conceding a goal. Their key defender, Dani Vivian, was shown a red card by referee Espen Eskas for bringing down striker Rasmus Hojlund in front of the goal. Initially, Eskas did not even call a foul against MU.

However, the video assistant referee (VAR) noticed something. Vivian was caught pulling Hojlund, who was about to receive a cross. Eskas changed his mind after watching the replay. Bilbao was penalized with a red card and a penalty. Fernandes took advantage of the gift and put the "Red Devils" ahead 2-0.

The Bilbao players strongly protested the referee's decision. Before the incident, during the buildup of the attack, the ball had first touched the hand of MU winger Alejandro Garnacho. The VAR did not review this matter. The referee remained unmoved, instead issuing a yellow card to defender Yuri Berchiche for excessive protesting.

MU compounded the suffering of the opposing team with Fernandes' second goal just before halftime. They scored a total of three goals in just 15 minutes. For Bilbao, the disaster in defense was previously unimaginable. Moreover, Bilbao had only conceded two goals in six home matches in the Europa League this season.

Bilbao appeared reluctant to take risks after going a man down. They believe that the chances of turning the situation around at Old Trafford are greater than forcing the issue with ten players. Nico Williams and his teammates played passively, opting to wait more in their own half.

Head Coach of Bilbao, Ernesto Valverde, stated that the chances of advancing are very slim, but they will not give up on returning to San Mames. "We were unable to handle the pressure after the first goal. We must learn from situations like this. A team like MU will not show mercy when given the opportunity," he said.

"The Red Devils" learned a great deal from their less favorable experience when surprised by Lyon, who managed to take the lead with ten players. They were more patient in building their attacks, not forcing their way forward immediately. In the second half, Manchester United completely dominated ball possession, achieving 77.2 percent.

Meanwhile, United's priority to excel in Europe is very clear. According to Opta, Amorim's team managed to score 19 goals in just seven Europa League games in 2025. They only scored 18 goals in 15 Premier League games this year.

The potential for an all-English final has increased following the first semifinal. In another match, Tottenham Hotspur managed to defeat Bodo/Glimt at home. "Certainly, we have an advantage. We also have our own supporters (at Old Trafford), but anything can happen and change in a single match," concluded Amorim. (AP/REUTERS)