Manchester United vs Athletic Club, 2011/12 UEFA Europa League, Third Round

· 1st Leg

Manchester United

22': Wayne Rooney
90'+2': Wayne Rooney (P)

FT
2 - 3
1st Leg

Athletic Club

44': Fernando Llorente
72': Óscar de Marcos
90': Iker Muniain

About

Manchester United are hosting Athletic Club at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, starting on . The match is a part of the UEFA Europa League.

Match Timeline

0': ESPNsoccernet's Dale Johnson will bring you live commentary of this match, which kicks off at 20.05 GMT.
0': Wayne Rooney starts for Manchester United in this Europa League last-16 first leg tie. Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick are amongst the big names missing from the starting XI though as Sir Alex Ferguson keeps half an eye on Sunday's Premier League encounter with West Brom.
0': So Manchester United will be eager to avoid the defeat City suffered in Lisbon.
0': Sir Alex Ferguson is speaking on TV, hoping the experience of United will win the day over their rivals.
0': Out come the teams at Old Trafford.
1': And it's Athletic to kick off.
2': Athletic start the game well. Young heads the ball behind for a corner but the whistle had gone for a push.
3': Man United enjoy some good possession. Hernandez feeds in Giggs through the centre who tries to get his shot off but former Liverpool man San Jose blocks.
4': Good start to the game.
5': Oooooooh! Llorente shows great strength and control on the egde of the box, working a tight corridor for the shot and it goes inches wide.
6': We've received an email remarking on how many Spaniards (*Basque) there are in the Athletic team compared to Englishmen in the Man United team. We don't have the heart to tell them.
7': Muniain sees De Gea off his line and goes for the chip, way over the bar.
8': Young crosses in from the right, dealt with easily.
8': Young is tugged back by Aurtenetxe by the corner flag. Free-kick - chance to deliver.
9': Giggs takes over on the right - it's almost a corner - and Iraizoz is there to punch to safety.
10': Awful ball across the edge of the box by Young just when United pressure was building.
11': Rooney produces a Charlie Adam shot, firing 30 yards over the bar from the edge of the box.
12': Athletic enjoying a period of possession but not in a dangerous area.
13': Muniain almost controls a fine ball over the top which would have put him in on goal, but he could only get a toe to it and De Gea collects.
14': Rooney has been awful in this opening quarter of an hour.
15': Plenty of empty seats up in the Gods at Old Trafford.
16': It's a bit flat at the moment, Athletic fans in fine voice.
17': Hernandez has a shot from the edge of the box but a deflection took the pace off it and Iraizoz collects.
18': Llorente, showing strength again, has another shot blocked. Passing is not in his remit.
19': Llorente goes down in the box, claiming he had been tugged back by Smalling - but the ref penalises Llorente for the push first.
20': Valencia are already 2-0 up at home to PSV.
21': De Marcos crosses for Llorente, it's just behind him and he cannot get purchase on the header. Good play by Smalling again too.
22': United coming under real pressure now. It pings around in the box and Herrera can only shoot tamely into the gloves of De Gea.
22': GOAL Wayne Rooney
23': Giggs plays in Hernandez who does brilliantly to cut inside and get off the shot. Iraizoz gets down to make the save but the loose ball falls to the onrushing Rooney who plants it in the roof of the net.
24': So, the sucker punch for Athletic as United soak up a bit of pressure and within seconds take the lead.
25': It seems clear United are going to play on the break. Happy for Athetlic to have the ball.
26': United have 3v3, but a terrible ball from Young as it hits a defender. He wants a handball but it deserves nothing.
27': Llorente plays a neat ball back for Iraolo, who sees his shot deflected behind for a corner.
28': The corner comes in from the right but there's too much flight on it. Wasted.
29': Remember you can follow me on Twitter: @dalejohnsonESPN
30': United a playing a unbelievably deep line, no interest in taking the initiative.
31': De Marcos whips in a cross from the right, Llorente gets there but can only head over the bar.
32': Athletic try to find the run of De Marcos in the box with a throughball - just too much weight on it, goal-kick.
33': Oooooooooh! Susaeta gets through on goal, outpacing Evans. Again it's the chip which the Athletic player goes for but it's way off target. A waste.
34': Giggs is full of tricks, flicks and backheels tonight.
35': Great ball puts the skipper Iraolo in a good position, he checks back inside onto his left and forces De Gea to put it behind at his near post.
36': Another corner on the right for Athletic, again United deal with it without much bother.
37': Iraolo was in acres of space on the right and screaming for the ball to be fed into the gap in the box. United need to get wise down that side.
38': All (!) Rooney seems to have done so far is get that vital goal. His passing has been poor a lot of the time.
39': United tie themselves in knots with a throw deep in the Athletic half on the right - and then Jones gives away a free-kick.
40': Awful cleared pass from De Gea - floated into touch.
41': Athletic always seem to make sure they have five bodies in attack, great to watch.
42': Hernandez very, very nearly gets on the end of a deep ball, Iraizoz plucking it from the air.
43':
Wayne Rooney celebrates.
44': Fine break down the right by Rooney, he plays the early ball to Hernandez who has to stretch for it and commits a foul.
44': GOAL FERNANDO LLORENTE
45': No less than Athletic deserve. A superb ball in from the left by Susaeta, Llorente had been left and headed home - though De Gea was given the chance to save.
45': One minute to be added on.
45': And that's half-time.
0': United have work to do at half-time. They have given away the away goal, almost handed it to Athletic by playing so deep and inviting on the pressure.
0': United are going to have to come out far more attacking in the second period otherwise they may well lose this game and have a mountain to climb next week.
0': I'll be back for the second half, and during half-time you can follow me on Twitter: @dalejohnsonESPN
46': United kick-off in the second half.
47': Athletic start really well, there's panic in the United box and De Marcos fires over.
48': That was no different to the first half. United simply have to improve.
49': Rooney and Park link up, but there's too much on the pass to Hernandez from the South Korean and Iraizoz collects.
50': Great save from De Gea! Muniain with the shot from outside the box and De Gea gets fingertips to it.
51': Athletic still swamping United. United unable to break as they keep giving the ball away.
52': Bad miss from Llorente!
53': United simply sliced apart again, Llorete fed in on the left and he fired into the sidenetting.
53': Great save from De Gea! Shot from the edge of the box by Llorente and the keeper stretches to palm over.
54': Herrera volleys into Warrington from the edge of the box.
55': It's the end of the night for Smalling. The cut on his head from England duty which was protected by a bandage has opened and blood was pouring down his face.
56': Carrick comes on for Smalling, Jones drops into defence.
57': Park is tripped five yards outside the box, free-kick. Rooney takes but it's always curling wide and Iraizoz guides it out.
58': Young is tugged back off the ball by a defender, somonehow that is not a yellow.
59': United have improved in the last five minutes after that onslaught from Athletic.
60': Handball against Carrick, free-kick to Athletic 30 yards out.
61': It's floated in and falls to San Jose, who also volleys into Warrington.
62': Rooney plays in Hernandez, he wants six hours to control it and make the space and is crowded out. He should have hit it early.
62': Anderson comes on for Park.
63': Rafael breaks and plays a terrible ball through the middle for Hernandez, good only for Iraizoz.
64': San Jose with a pull on Hernandez.
65': United looking far more composed.
66': De Marcos doesn't like the tackle from Evans and is down in pain. It wasn't a great challenge but the Athletic man will be fine.
67': Remember you can follow me on Twitter: @dalejohnsonESPN
68': Oooooooo! Superb run from Muniain, taking a one-two and forcing another top stop out of De Gea.
69': Young plays a long, long ball over the top to find Hernandez on the run on the edge of the box. The touch is just too heavy and Iraizoz is there.
70': Still no real sign of composure or indeed urgency from United in the Athletic half. They have to win this match surely, don't they?
71': Wayne Rooney's just appealed for a free-kick. Yes, he's still on the pitch.
72': De Gea is wise to a chipped ball through to De Marcos.
72': GOAL OSCAR DE MARCOS
73': Wonderful, wonderful chip through by Herrera, and De Marcos hit it first time with his left into the opposite corner.
74': United may feel the flag should have gone up against De Marcos for offside - but the truth is Athletic deserve this.
75': The ineffectual Giggs is replaced by Nani.
76': United simply have to attack now. This is a disaster. All-Manchester final? Neither might make the quarters.
77': Awful pass from Rooney again - it was a simply five yard pass. The loose ball runs for Rooney, and he fires well over from 22 yards.
78': As it stands, United HAVE to score at least twice in Bilbao.
79': Nani drives a ball in from the right, but it only finds Martinez at the near post who neatly controls and takes it clear.
80': Anderson. Runs. Into. Nowhere.
81': Long shot from Rooney on target but straight at Iraizoz.
82': Llorente is replaced by Toquero. A defensive move.
83': Nani feeds in Hernandez but again the Mexican is hestitant and loses the ball. He's not been on his game tonight either.
84': Young breaks but by the time he opts to shoot he's been closed down.
84': Toquero tries a shot from just inside the box, De Gea fists it over.
85': Herrera is off, and on comes Inigo Perez.
86': Four minutes for United to do something to salvage their European season.
87': If anything, Athletic look like scoring again.
88': This United side just don't look at it in Europe this season, not just the Europa League.
89': Evra didn't have his boot on properly and the ref has stopped the play as United went forward. And he's given a free-kick to Athletic for the boot being on the pitch.
90': GOAL IKER MUNIAIN
90': From the resulting odd free-kick, two defenders went for the same ball and fliched it on for De Marcos. His good shot was well saved by De Gea, Rafael was asleep and Muniain ghosted it and fired into the roof of the net.
90': Three minutes to be added on.
91': PENALTY TO MAN UNITED
91': Handball by De Marcos just inside the box. Definitely penalty.
92': Rooney......
92': GOAL Rooney sends Iraizoz the wrong way and gives United hope.
93': Nani is pulled back. Chance to put it into the box for a leveller!
93': Goes through for a corner!
94': And another corner!
94': Carrick shot - deflected away from goal!
94': And that's it - a dramatic end if ever there was one, and it's Athletic who lead 3-2 after the first leg
0': United will have to score twice without reply to go through - you feel they will have to score at least three though as they won't keep this Athletic team out.
0': Athletic were awesome tonight, a real display of confident, attacking football. They'll do the same next Thursday.
0': That's it for tonight. Remember you can follow me on Twitter: @dalejohnsonESPN

Game Information

Competition: UEFA Europa League

Venue: Old Trafford
Location: Manchester, England
Attendance: 59,265

Line-Ups

Manchester United

No.	Name
1	David de Gea (GK)
21	Rafael
12	Chris Smalling
6	Jonny Evans
3	Patrice Evra
4	Phil Jones
13	Park Ji-Sung
11	Ryan Giggs
18	Ashley Young
10	Wayne Rooney
14	Javier Hernández

Manchester United Substitutes:

Ben Amos, Rio Ferdinand, Fabio, Anderson, Michael Carrick, Nani, Danny Welbeck.

Athletic Club

No.	Name
1	Gorka Iraizoz (GK)
15	Andoni Iraola
6	Mikel San José
3	Jon Aurtenetxe
24	Javi Martínez
8	Ander Iturraspe
21	Ander Herrera
14	Markel Susaeta
10	Óscar de Marcos
9	Fernando Llorente
19	Iker Muniain

Athletic Club Substitutes:

Raúl Fernández, Koikili Lertxundi Del Campo, Borja Ekiza, Gaizka Toquero, David López, Íñigo Pérez, Ibai Gómez.

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