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Manchester United faced Real Sociedad at San Sebastian in the first leg of their Round of 16 match on Thursday.
‘Team Was Very Tired By End’: Ruben Amorim Cites Fatigue After 1-1 Draw Vs Sociedad (Picture credit: AP)
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has said that his team had control until Real Sociedad were handed an opportunity to score through a penalty. The momentum shifted towards the latter soon after the breakthrough, as his team managed a 1-1 draw in their Europa League tie.
United faced Sociedad at San Sebastian in the first leg of their Round of 16 match on Thursday.
After the draw, Amorim faced the media with his thoughts on the encounter against Sociedad, citing fatigue as an issue for his team.
“We had control until the penalty; then, the momentum shifted. The team was very tired by the end. We’ll take the result. It’ll be a different match at Old Trafford with the pressure on us,” Amorim told the media after the game.
Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee netted his first goal in five matches to send Amorim’s team ahead at the Reale Arena before the hour mark, but Bruno Fernandes conceded a penalty for handball, which Mikel Oyarzabal dispatched in the 70th minute.
Amorim was left with only 18 players to call due to an injury crisis, with English centre-back Harry Maguire and Manuel Ugarte joining the likes of Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw on the sidelines.
Amorim said that it wasn’t important for his side to win the Europa League but suggested it could turn around a dire season, with the club 14th in the Premier League and dumped out of the other tournaments.
Amorim said that Zirkzee, who missed a penalty in Manchester United’s FA Cup loss to Fulham on Sunday, March 2, deserved his moment.
“He deserved it because he’s working well, he’s improving in a lot of things and he was really important for us today,” Amorim said.
Manchester United next play Arsenal in a Premier League encounter on Sunday, March 9, at Old Trafford, and a win over the latter can make them get past Tottenham on the points table.
