fixit fellaini gets manchester united off the mark
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today
Egypt Today, egypt today
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today

To the Champions League on Tuesday

Fix-it Fellaini gets Manchester United off the mark

Egypt Today, egypt today

Egypt Today, egypt today Fix-it Fellaini gets Manchester United off the mark

Substitute Marouane Fellaini proved an unlikely
Manchester - Egypt Today

Substitute Marouane Fellaini proved an unlikely source of inspiration as Manchester United comfortably defeated Basel 3-0 on their return to the Champions League on Tuesday.
Fellaini, a replacement for the injured Paul Pogba, gave United a 35th-minute lead at a drizzly Old Trafford and teed up Marcus Rashford for the hosts' third goal after Romelu Lukaku had struck early in the second period.
It was United's first Champions League game since December 2015, with Jose Mourinho's side having engineered a return to the competition by winning the Europa League last season.
"I keep saying the same about Fellaini: he is a player with special qualities and he gives me multiple areas of action. He is one of my most important players," Mourinho told BT Sport.
Despite the comfortable margin of victory, Mourinho rebuked his team for taking their foot off the pedal.
"Until 2-0 we were very stable," he said. "After 2-0 everything changed. We stopped playing seriously and stopped making the right decisions. We could have put ourselves in trouble.
"We were playing fantasy football, PlayStation football. I don't like it."
Basel had previously proved a thorn in United's side, eliminating them from the Champions League in 2011-12, and they inflicted a surprise defeat upon Mourinho in the first European game of his second Chelsea stint in 2013.
While Raphael Wicky's side were pushed aside without too much fuss in this Group A opener, Pogba's premature exit with an apparent hamstring injury meant Mourinho could not reflect on an entirely satisfactory night.
With Ashley Young coming into the United XI at right-back in place of Antonio Valencia to make his first start of the season, Pogba inherited the captain's armband from the Ecuadorian.
But the Frenchman's debut as United skipper would last just 18 minutes after he abruptly clutched the back of his left leg and was obliged to hobble off in disgust, with Fellaini joining the fray.
- Lukaku opens his account -
United had been getting on top and they went close to taking the lead when Henrikh Mkhitaryan jabbed Lukaku's low cross against the post and then saw his follow-up smothered by goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik.
Luca Zuffi gave the hosts a scare when he sliced wide in front of the Stretford End after Chris Smalling failed to deal with a high ball, but two minutes later United opened the scoring.
The home fans could have been forgiven for wondering if it was still 2015, when the stadium last hosted a Champions League game, as Young sidestepped Blas Riveros and whipped in a perfect cross that Fellaini headed home.
Quiet in the first half, Anthony Martial came to life early in the second, beating Manuel Akanji and Taulant Xhaka before dispatching a skidding shot that Vaclik turned behind.
The resulting corner, taken short, yielded United's second goal as Daley Blind's drilled cross was emphatically headed in at the back post by Lukaku, who notched his first goal in the tournament proper.
Frequently maligned for his ungainliness, Fellaini by now was running the show, freed to roam forward by the anchoring presence of Nemanja Matic behind him.
Martial should have made it 3-0 from the Belgium midfielder's cut-back midway through the second half, only to steer his shot off-target from close range.
Lukaku and Young both worked Vaclik, while Mohamed Elyounoussi tested David de Gea's concentration at the other end after cutting inside the sliding Victor Lindelof, before United did claim their third in the 84th minute.
Mkhitaryan completely miscued his attempt at a side-foot finish from Fellaini's right-sided cross, but substitute Rashford followed up to scuff a shot into the ground and over the despairing Vaclik.
Off the pace domestically, Swiss champions Basel have now gone nine European games without a win.
"I'm very disappointed with the result," said beaten coach Wicky. "But I would not say I'm disappointed with my team

egypttoday
egypttoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

fixit fellaini gets manchester united off the mark fixit fellaini gets manchester united off the mark



GMT 09:23 2013 Thursday ,03 January

Haifa Wehbe: No 2012 regrets

GMT 16:55 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

Stylist fashion editor commences role

GMT 21:47 2015 Monday ,31 August

Jack Black stars in new 'Goosebumps' trailer

GMT 08:04 2017 Monday ,30 October

Pakistani bridal brand Élan showcases

GMT 11:57 2018 Thursday ,04 January

Thiem through but more seeds fall at Qatar Open

GMT 08:46 2017 Friday ,07 July

Stella Magazine associate editor

GMT 09:48 2017 Sunday ,22 October

Barcelona roll on calmly amidst Catalan chaos

GMT 08:09 2017 Monday ,27 February

A Useful Guide to Repaint the Exterior of Your Home

GMT 13:41 2017 Saturday ,06 May

Shah Rukh Khan’s Dubai film

GMT 23:20 2017 Wednesday ,08 February

In same sportive look as sibling Gigi

GMT 12:55 2018 Wednesday ,21 November

Bahrain condemns terrorist attack in Afghanistan

GMT 09:17 2018 Monday ,05 November

Edouard Philippe arrives in New Caledonia

GMT 11:20 2018 Friday ,12 October

Young Egyptian woman serves as minister for a day

GMT 10:20 2017 Monday ,29 May

Morocco protest leader arrested

GMT 23:11 2016 Monday ,20 June

Walmart, JD.com announce alliance in China

GMT 11:54 2015 Sunday ,05 July

7 Pakistani troops killed

GMT 00:33 2017 Wednesday ,01 February

Welcome back, Oman!

GMT 11:01 2017 Saturday ,25 February

Spain to cull 17,000 ducks as bird flu hits

GMT 17:40 2014 Monday ,22 September

5 memory strategies for learning anything fast
 
 Egypt Today Facebook,egypt today facebook  Egypt Today Twitter,egypt today twitter Egypt Today Rss,egypt today rss  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
egypttoday, Egypttoday, Egypttoday