Think we can all agree that was a lot more “Barcelona v Manchester United” than it was “Europa League Playoff Round”.
If there was a question about whether Barcelona v Manchester United would elevate the Europa League Playoff Round or the Europa League Playoff Round would drag Barcelona v Manchester United down to its level it was emphatically answered with a barnstorming European clash at Camp Nou.
In truth, this was always a bit of a quirk. Neither of these colossal teams really quite fit the “fallen giants” narrative right now. Both have emerged out the other side of their darkest times and appear well on the way to a return to better times. Barcelona were here because they made a mess of a tough Champions League group, United because they lost carelessly to Real Sociedad early in the Europa League group stage when Erik Ten Hag was in the very early stages of the daunting but increasingly impressive reboot of a club that had been flailing around aimlessly for a decade.
The teams who have met in three European finals, including Champions League finals as recently as 2009 and 2011, found themselves paired in a Europa League Playoff Round was undeniably amusing. But this was a game to put this week’s Champions League last-16 efforts to shame. Ignore the second tier label of the competition, this was the standout European game of the week.
It’s usually a pretty good sign when a game ends all square and both teams can argue with some justification that they ought to have won it. United saw less of the ball but created the clearer chances in a high-quality first half, with Wout Weghorst particularly guilty of not doing enough to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen when exquisitely played through by the relentless Bruno Fernandes. Marcus Rashford too might have done slightly better, albeit with a tougher chance, when his dink-clip effort lacked sufficient oomph to beat the keeper.
If the first half had everything but goals. The second put that right without the quality or pace letting up for a moment. Both teams pressed high, forcing defensive errors and winning the ball high up the field. Both teams created a series of chances and if one were minded to be critical there could be fingers pointed in various directions for all four goals, and at assorted attackers for the chances not taken.
It feels mean-spirited, though, and to rather miss the point. This was a game of forced not unforced errors, of high standards and fine margins between two…
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