Manchester United’s Anthony Elanga has made a dream come true: the Swede scored the important goal in the 80th minute against Atletico in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League in Madrid to make it 1-1. “I’ve dreamed of moments like this. Whenever I get a chance for the club, I want to return the coach’s trust,” said Elanga, who scored his first touch of the ball five minutes after coming on as a substitute.
The Scandinavian became Man United’s youngest-ever goalscorer in the ‘premier league’ knockout phase at 19 years and 302 days. Regardless, the result is flattering for the traditional English club. Ralf Rangnick’s team hadn’t fired a single shot at the opposing goal before the equalizing goal. Atletico seemed to be heading towards victory after the early 1-0 that Joao Felix had scored with a dream header (7th).
But then came Elanga, to whom Rangnick gave the message that he should instill fear in the opposing defenders. Said and done. “It’s a pleasure to watch him. I wish a few other players would take his example and be a role model,” said Rangnick.
Atletico defender Jose Maria Gimenez was extremely disappointed. “We were better, very aggressive in the first half. We played brilliantly and could have scored more goals.”
In the 2-2 draw between Benfica and Ajax Amsterdam, the focus was on Portuguese team player Roman Yaremchuk. After the 26-year-old had fixed the equalizer in the 72nd minute, he took off his jersey and revealed a black shirt with the coat of arms of Ukraine underneath, which was acutely threatened by Russia at the time of the game and later attacked.
Benfica’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals are intact. ÖFB team player Valentino Lazaro, who only came on as a substitute for the Lisbon club in the 90th minute, is also happy.
Source: Nachrichten
