TDespite a poor performance, coach Ralf Rangnick saved Manchester United’s chance of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, while Ajax Amsterdam’s winning streak ended. Thanks to Anthony Elanga’s late goal (80th minute), United fought a flattering 1-1 (0-1) win at Atlético Madrid in the round of 16 first leg on Wednesday evening. Portugal’s national soccer player João Félix (7th) had previously given the Spaniards the lead.
In the parallel game, Ajax did not get past a 2-2 (2-1) win at Benfica Lisbon after six wins in six group games. Dušan Tadić (18′) and top scorer Sébastien Haller (29′) scored the Ajax goals, while substitute Roman Yaremchuk (72′) secured Benfica the deserved draw. Previously, Haller (26th) had also hit his own goal. Former Dortmund player Julian Weigl played through for the Portuguese. The second leg will take place on March 15th.
Rangnick’s team showed a weak game over long stretches in Madrid. Atlético put the English on the defensive early on, and the hosts’ tactics paid off after just a few minutes. After a cross from Renan Lodi, 22-year-old Félix headed the ball into the goal with a diving header that was unstoppable and worth seeing. And then? Anyone who expected an angry reaction from Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Co. was disappointed. If the “Red Devils” stood out, it was mainly through mistakes – Bruno Fernandes made three of them in the early stages, each time resulting in a dangerous action. After that, the Portuguese even teased his teammates.
Only shortly before the end did the English get their goal after five substitutions from Rangnick and a lack of attention from the Spaniards. After a fine pass from Fernandes, who improved over the course of the game, the young Elanga pushed the ball into the far corner. In the final phase, the British were even closer to the second goal. The German coach reacted correctly to the course of the game.
In Lisbon, the game was tighter, even if Ajax were initially the superior team. The technical class of the Dutchman first flashed after a good quarter of an hour when Tadic promoted a cross into the corner to take the lead. After an own goal by former Frankfurter Haller, who deflected a low cross from Jan Vertonghen into his own goal, the Estádio da Luz found itself in a state of emergency for the first time. Just three minutes later, the Champions League top scorer scored the right goal after a mess in the Benfica penalty area – it was the Frenchman’s eleventh goal of the season. But then Benfica pushed and it was worth it. Substitute Yaremchuk scored after a mistake by Ajax keeper Pasveer and celebrated his goal with a political message.
