Stockholm: Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan hit the target once in each half as their team comfortably outclassed Ajax Amsterdam to win an emotional Europa League final 2-0 and qualify for the group stages of the Champions League.
A minute’s silence held for the victims of Monday’s suicide bombing in Manchester in which 22 people died turned into applause as chants of ‘Manchester’ and “We’ll Never Die’ bellowed out from the English supporters before the match.
World record signing Pogba opened the scoring in the 18th minute as United won the ball after an Ajax throw-in, the Frenchman’s shot taking a wicked deflection to wrong-foot goalkeeper Andre Onana and fly into the net.
Mkhitaryan then flicked the ball home early in the second half following a corner and, with chants of ‘Manchester, Manchester’ echoing around the stadium, the Red Devils held on to win the one European trophy missing from their Old Trafford cabinet.
“We know things like this are very sad all over the world,” said Pogba referring to the attack. “We had to focus. Manchester – we won for them. We played for England, we played for Manchester and we played for them – the people who tragically lost their lives.
“The goal was to win all the way through this season. We’ve done it, and we’re proud. People say we’ve had a bad season but the prize is great and we’ve done it now. We have three trophies so enjoy it now,” the Frenchman added.
Man United’s triumph followed success in the League Cup and the Community Shield in Jose Mourinho’s first season in charge at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils, wearing all blue as they did in winning the 1968 European Cup final, made an imposing start, with Pogba whistling a shot wide of the near post within the first minute.
The France midfielder was all over the pitch, appearing as a third centre-back one moment to head the ball away from danger, channelling pinpoint passes to striker Marcus Rashford the next.
Pogba put his side ahead with a hopeful low shot from the edge of the area that was sent looping past Onana in the Ajax goal thanks to a huge deflection from Davinson Sanchez.
Ajax, fielding the youngest starting line-up in a European final, were expected to make a quick start.
Instead the Dutch side were fenced in by United, nullified by Marouane Fellaini and man of the match Ander Herrera in the middle and stretched by Rashford’s darting runs.
They were given no time to settle in the second half as Mkhitaryan leapt to knock Chris Smalling’s knockdown from a corner into the roof of the net after 48 minutes.
Ajax hogged the ball for the rest of the match but could never create an open chance.
Mourinho terms win a triumph of pragmatism
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said Wednesday that his side’s season had been a triumph of pragmatism over poetry following their Europa League success against Ajax here. The Red Devils won the game 2-0.
Mourinho has received criticism over the quality of United’s football and sixth-place finish in the Premier League, but he finished his maiden season with three trophies and a place in next season’s Champions League.
“The poets are the ones that win every match,” said the Portuguese. I think I am going to have one of these jobs in a few years. I always lose important matches, according to some. But in a bad season, in a season where sometimes I felt my team are the worst in the world and I am the worst manager in the world, we won three trophies and go to the Champions League by winning a trophy.
“So the season was the victory of pragmatism and the people who respect the opponent and try to exploit the opponents’ weakness. Based on pragmatism and humble principles. Not poets,” added Mourinho.
The United manager celebrated Wednesday’s victory exuberantly at the Friends Arena here, at one point being bundled to the turf in an embrace with his jubilant son.
“To me it is the most important trophy of my career because it is the last (most recent) – that is how I look at things,” Mourinho said.
“Of course, the Champions League is bigger than Europa League. But now this means everything and going back to the Champions League and also qualifying to play the Super Cup (game between Champions League winners and Europa League victors). Not bad for my maiden season.’
Paul Pogba and man of the match Ander Herrera both dedicated victory to the victims of Monday’s devastating suicide bomb attack at at Manchester Arena.
“If we could, we would obviously change the people’s lives for this Cup, immediately,” Mourinho said. “We wouldn’t think twice. Does this Cup make the city of Manchester a little bit happier? Maybe. But we just came to do our job.”
Herrera meanwhile let his emotions control him. “I want to dedicate the trophy to the victims,” Herrera told reporters.
“This is just football but what happened Monday was horrible. We want peace in the world and respect. This happened in Manchester but everywhere we have to be a united world to fight for peace and to have no more attacks,” the Spaniard added.
Reuters