Sid Lowe was at Anoeta tonight, and his verdict is in. “Ultimately, a 1-1 draw is not a bad result for United to take from a night when they did not always impress, but it will have frustrated them and it offered little evidence of them having overcome their most pressing problems.” Enjoy Sid’s report, and thanks for reading this MBM.
Ruben Amorim speaks to TNT Sports. “Until the penalty we had control … the penalty changed a little bit the momentum … in the last 30 minutes we were really, really tired … we take this to Old Trafford … it is going to be a different game … the pressure will be on us in that stadium and we have to be ready … the key will be surviving physically until Sunday [when United host Arsenal in the Premier League] and be fresh for Thursday … it was clearly fatigue … until the penalty we had good possessions … our decisions in the last third is sometimes not the best decision but we had good moments in the game … we move onto the next game.”
Should United get past Sociedad, they’ll play the winner of the Artists Formerly Known As Steaua București v Olympique Lyonnais tie. The first leg of that one, played this evening in Bucharest, has ended 3-1 to Lyon, Malick Fofana tipping the tie in the French club’s favour with goals in the 86th and 89th minutes. Nicolas Tagliafico had earlier given Lyon the lead on 30 minutes, only for Alexandru Baluta to equalise on 68 for the Romanians. Yara El-Shaboury has more details in the Europa League clockwatch.
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A downcast Joshua Zirkzee talks to TNT Sports. “There was more here for us tonight … we were unlucky with the pen … you have to be relentless with your chances … we had enough of them … they have to come to Old Trafford … we’re obviously playing against a good footballing team … it’s not easy … but we should at least have had one more [goal] … the team needed [his goal] but we didn’t win … we are going to be better than we were today … we can remain calm … we lost it a bit [after the penalty] … we just have to win and that’s all that matters.”
Orri Óskarsson should have won that for Real Sociedad but missed a late sitter from six yards. He nearly won it with a fierce shot seconds from the end that was parried well by André Onana. But that would have been harsh on Manchester United, who were the better side for 69 minutes and looked set for victory, a goal up thanks to Joshua Zirkzee, the impotent hosts contained. But Bruno Fernandes handled in the box to throw the hosts a lifeline, and after Mikel Oyarzabal converted the penalty, the Basques were on top from there on in. A long-winded way of saying a draw is probably about right, though United may feel they did just about enough to deserve the win. A slight advantage going into next week’s second leg at Old Trafford is their consolation prize.
FULL TIME: Real Sociedad 1-1 Manchester United
All back to Old Trafford next week.
90 min +4: Oyarzabal sends Óskarsson racing free down the inside-left channel. Óskarsson enters the box and lashes hard towards the goal. It’s a slightly tight angle, but take nothing away from Onana’s save. A strong left hand at full stretch.
90 min +2: Collyer is skittled 35 yards from goal. Fernandes floats the free kick into the mixer. Eriksen shapes like Zidane in the 2002 European Cup final but shins his attempted volley.
90 min: There will be five additional minutes.
88 min: Both teams make changes. Yoro and Zirkzee are replaced by Lindelof and Collyer, while Sučić makes way for Jon Ander Olasagasti.
86 min: Becker strides down the right again. And crosses dangerously again. De Ligt prepares to hook clear … then slips! Óskarsson is behind him, preparing to slam home, but De Ligt somehow adjusts while sliding on the floor, lifting a leg like a cat in self-cleaning mode to deflect the ball away from danger. From slapstick to sensational in nanoseconds.
85 min: That’s the exact ball Dalot should have played for Hojlund in the first half, by the way. A copycat situation. Óskarsson had to score.
84 min: Real should be ahead. Becker is sent scampering into space down the right. He crosses low, to tee up Óskarsson, six yards out. Óskarsson has to score, but pokes his shot wide left. Relief for United. Yoro with just enough presence to put the striker off.
82 min: Eriksen is so close to finding Dorgu on the left flank with a spectacular crossfield pass. A smidgen too much on it, and it’s a goal kick. United started the half carrying a threat, but the equaliser has taken the wind out of their sail.
81 min: Takefusa Kubo, who hasn’t quite delivered tonight, makes way for Sheraldo Becker.
79 min: Hojlund has kept running all night … and he’s nearly sent clear down the inside-right channel by Zirkzee. But the flag goes up for offside.
78 min: Before the resulting corner can be taken, Garnacho is replaced by Eriksen. Nothing comes of the set piece.
77 min: Dorgu is making his European debut tonight, and that lack of experience betrays him here. A loose clearance, and suddenly Méndez is in a pocket of space, 30 yards out. He curls powerfully towards the bottom left. Onana does exceptionally well to turn a fine shot around the post.
75 min: Oyarzabal loops down the middle in the hope of finding Óskarsson, but De Ligt nips in to cushion a cute header back to Onana. Then Kubo shimmies down the right and dinks a cross that the keeper claims. All of a sudden there’s a sense of momentum changing.
73 min: Remiro is on the floor, having taken a whack upside the head from his own man Aramburu while in the process of claiming a long ball. A pause in play.
72 min: Fernandes blows out his cheeks in frustration. United were well on top until that corner came in. Pretty much everyone in the stadium is now doing the Poznan.
GOAL! Real Sociedad 1-1 Manchester United (Oyarzabal 70 pen)
Real captain Oyarzabal takes. A small stutter, then he whips the ball into the left-hand side of the net, having given Onana the eyes and sent the keeper the wrong way. A fine penalty, and that’s got the hosts out of a hole.
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Penalty to Real Sociedad
69 min: Yep, the ball hit Fernandes on the arm. That arm in an unnatural position, stopping Aguerd meeting the corner with his head. Fernandes shakes his head in disgust.
68 min: There’s a VAR check for a potential penalty at that corner. The referee’s sent over to the screen.
66 min: Real have finally sparked into action, and Kubo advances on the United box, his shot taking a deflection and sailing out for a corner … from which nothing comes, but it’s small acorns for Sociedad at the moment. They’ve been dreadful.
65 min: Mendez has a pop from 25 yards. It sails inches wide of the right-hand post. Not sure Onana would have got to that had it been a few inches to the left.
64 min: United are totally on top, so Imanol Alguacil is forced to do something. He makes a triple change, hauling off Aritz Elustondo, Beñat Turrientes and Ander Barrenetxea and sending on Orri Óskarsson, Jon Aramburu and Pablo Marín.
63 min: Fernandes again down the middle. He slips a pass upfield to Hojlund, who spins and rolls wide right for Garnacho. Almost a facsimile of Darwin Nunez to Harvey Elliott last night for Liverpool in Paris. But Garnacho hits the side netting again.
61 min: Now it’s Fernandes’ turn to romp down the middle. Real are all over the shop. He tries to feed Garnacho on the right, but undercooks the pass and Munoz is able to intercept and clear. A better weighted ball to Garnacho and he’d have been in.
59 min: Nice to see Zirkzee on the scoresheet and celebrating after his penalty woe against Fulham. The keeper perhaps should have done better, but that’s not on Zirkzee, who caught the shot well.
GOAL! Real Sociedad 0-1 Manchester United (Zirkzee 57)
This had been coming, and it’s a fine goal. Dalot barges his way down the middle and feeds Garnacho on the right. Garnacho reaches the edge of the box before pulling back for Zirkzee, who takes a first-time swing at the ball. The shot’s straight down the middle of the goal, but Remiro is unsighted and in it goes! Lovely team move. United deserve this on balance, no question.
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55 min: Sociedad win a corner down the right. Before it can be taken, Fernandes is booked for one yap in the referee’s direction too many. Nothing comes of the set piece. Real still haven’t got an effort on target. Onana with a cigar on.
54 min: … but having said that, his team are doing OK here. Garnacho has another whack at goal, meeting a Dalot cutback with a first-time slap towards the bottom right. Remiro is positioned well to claim. United have had three shots on target to Real’s zero.
53 min: Sociedad hoick the ball out of play towards the dugouts. Ruben Amorim controls the ball, dropping from high, effortlessly and elegantly. He must wish he could select himself.
51 min: Fernandes gets back to work and sends the free kick wide right. United quickly come back at Sociedad, Zirkzee back-flicking elegantly down the left for Dorgu, who whistles a low ball through the six-yard box. Garnacho, racing in from the right, flutters the side netting. He should have hit the target at the very least. He really should have scored.
49 min: Zubeldia hauls back an in-flight Hojlund. A free kick just outside the D in a fairly central position. Zubeldia is correctly booked. Fernandes hassles the referee, presumably claiming the denial of a goalscoring opportunity. He’s entitled to try it on, but there were two other defenders around, so that’s not going to fly.
48 min: Kubo advances down the right and slides a cross towards the near post. Oyarzabal is on point, waiting to trundle home, but Yoro again makes a crucial intervention to hook clear. Better from the hosts.
47 min: Elustondo throws in long from the right. Yoro does well to clear at the near post under pressure. Maybe Sociedad have had a bollocking too.
La Real get the second half underway. No changes. United were sent out early by their manager, which may or may not be a post-bollocking state of affairs. They were the better side in the first half, for what that’s worth, so perhaps not.
Half-time entertainment. For your aural pleasure.
HALF TIME: Real Sociedad 0-0 Manchester United
That wasn’t very good. United will be happy enough on balance, though. The Real attack has been held easily at arm’s length, while United have had the better chances, Elustondo blocking shots from both Fernandes and Zirkzee during one hectic episode. Onwards and upwards.
45 min +2: Another Real corner, Kubo sending this one in from the right. Onana flaps it clear, and he was being fouled by Zubeldia anyway.
45 min +1: That was probably more of a hand-ball than the one Hojlund was just penalised for, Zirkzee’s arm away from his torso, but it would still have been harsh. Anyway, United aren’t complaining.
45 min: Sučić nearly works himself some space on the edge of the United box but the ball’s taken off his toe and deflected wide left. Kubo’s corner rears up and hits Zirkzee on the arm, but that’s never going to be a penalty.
44 min: Hojlund robs Turrientes on the halfway line, and there’s a two-versus-one break on. But the ball ballooned up onto Hojlund’s tucked-in arm when the striker was in the process of winning it, and the referee blows up for a hand-ball. That’s pretty harsh, and has denied United a promising counter.
42 min: Fernandes drops deep and floats a long pass down the middle and into the Sociedad box. Remiro hesitates and doesn’t come. Dalot heads goalwards but doesn’t get any power on his effort, and it’s straight at Remiro as well.
40 min: Nothing comes of the resulting free kick.
39 min: Dalot hangs out a leg to cynically bring down Muñoz out on the left touchline. He should be booked, but absurdly gets away with a ticking off, joining a group of lucky Premier League lads that this week also includes Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ibrahima Konaté.
37 min: … and it nearly comes here! Dalot bursts into the box down the right. He crosses low for Fernandes, whose first-time drive fails to get through a crowded six-yard box. The ball rebounds to Zirkzee, who takes one shot – blocked – then flicks wide right. I think both of those shots were blocked by Elustondo, who earned his money there, and then some.
36 min: Some sterile domination by United. If ever a game needed a goal, this is it.
34 min: Kubo has been Sociedad’s best player so far, and his fancy footwork down the right wins the hosts their first corner of the evening. Kubo takes it himself, but it’s easily cleared. Neither keeper has had any meaningful work to do.
33 min: United are winning more duels now. It’s all fairly scrappy, though. “Spanish Royal Society plays host to the Premier League’s Royal Mess,” quips Peter Oh. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown!”
31 min: Another fine long Mazraoui pass. This time it releases Dorgu down the left. He cuts back in the hope of finding Zirkzee. Aguerd is forced to turn behind for a corner, from which nothing comes. Mazraoui playing the role of quarterback pretty well so far tonight.
29 min: Dorgu is back … and now Oyarzabal is down, having been clipped from behind by Yoro. He eventually hauls himself back up. This isn’t helping the flow.
28 min: It might be just an impact injury that’ll sort itself out once the sting subsides. Dorgu is able to walk off and looks ready to return.
27 min: A worry for United as Dorgu goes down with a pained look on his face, holding his left thigh.
26 min: Real Sociedad pass it around patiently, but with little urgency, and go nowhere. This game hasn’t quite taken off yet.
24 min: Play restarts. Incidentally, Aguerd, currently on loan in the Basque Country from West Ham, is reportedly a summer target for United.
22 min: It’s Ramadan, and the sun has dipped. A chance for Nayef Aguerd to break his fast and take on board some fuel. A brief pause in play as he does so.
20 min: … so having said that, Dalot is sent scampering down the right by a glorious long pass from Mazraoui. An easy pass inside to Hojlund, free in the middle, is on, but inexplicably turned down. The ball’s eventually cut back for Garnacho, who then finds Dorgu, who blazes over the bar. Hojlund is fuming – he’d have surely been slotting from ten yards had the ball been delivered to him – and has a short conversation with Dalot about it.
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18 min: Turrientes goes on another barrelling run, this time down the inside-left channel, this time leaving Fernandes for dead. He reaches the edge of the box before scuffing a rushed shot. The hosts beginning to get on top.
16 min: Kubo looks lively. Now he attempts a one-two with Barrenetxea, but the pass coming back is no good. He’d have been bursting into the box otherwise.
15 min: Kubo one-twos with Oyarzabal to make some space down the right. United suddenly look out of shape, so they’re fortunate that Kubo slips, allowing Dorgu to intercept and clear.
13 min: Turrientes dribbles down the inside-right channel, leaving Casemiro in his wake. He lays off to Kubo, who in turn finds Mendez. Finally a cross comes in. Onana claims. It’s a fairly open game.
12 min: Garnacho is back on his usual beat out left. He’s fed by Hojlund, and cuts infield before aiming a powerful curler towards the bottom right. Remiro is behind it all the way.
10 min: Dalot curls a pass down the right for Hojlund, who battles hard to keep possession. Play’s switched to the left where Dorgu wins the first corner of the match. Fernandes swings it in, but it’s headed clear at the near post without too much drama.
8 min: A fairly quiet start to the game. Fernandes tries to release Dalot into space down the right but there’s nowhere to go and the move peters out.
6 min: A free kick for Sociedad out on the right. Kubo curls it in. Dalot heads half-clear. Barrenetxea returns the ball into the mixer from the left. Too long. Kubo tries again from the other side. He can neither get a cross in nor a shot away. United finally clear their lines.
4 min: Garnacho has started the game on the right. Hojlund fills in on the left with a direct dribble and low cross that’s easily cleared, but the run offers United some early hope.
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2 min: Onana takes receipt of a Yoro backpass. Oyarzabal nearly closes him down, but is sent off to the nearest pintxos bar by the keeper’s elegant pirouette. Spinning on the ball and selling a dummy six yards from your own goal with little more than 60 seconds on the clock took some nerve.
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Manchester United get the ball rolling. Their season in the balance. San Sebastian so beautiful in the spring.
The teams are out. Home hymns pinging off the walls of an atmospheric Anoeta. Real Sociedad in their blue and white stripes, Manchester United in red shirts and black shorts. Not long now: we’ll be off once pennants are swapped, coins tossed and hands clasped.
Ruben Amorim talks to TNT Sports. “We need to be really strong … especially at the beginning of the game … it will be really intense … they are ready … we have tried to manage the load … I know in the second half we will feel it a little bit [after extra time in the FA Cup last weekend] … we are excited to be here … we can cope with the physicality of the game … we watch the opponent and try to see the spaces … they put a high line and [Rasmus Højlund] can use this space … he needs to enjoy again playing football … to stay focused on the small things … he will be OK … we need possession of the ball … if we have the ball it is impossible to score against us … if we lose it in the build-up they are really strong and fast to go to the goal … we are prepared for that … we need to improve the way we have possession … that is the main focus.”
That aforementioned 4-0 win for United in 2021, then. You wouldn’t think Sociedad think of that rout fondly, but they do. Kind of. “They overran us so clearly; the difference was huge,” their keeper Alex Remiro explains. “We could compete in terms of play but physically they were better than us in everything. It finished 4-0 but it could have been seven or eight. We were awful. And watching them it was like: ‘Bloody hell, this is …’ It was: ‘Wow!’ … From that game, from that loss, we started to place more stress on the duels.”
Six weeks later, Real beat arch rivals Bilbao in the cup final, their first silverware in 34 years. United’s display of tough love forms just one part of this illuminating interview with the Sociedad stopper. Yet another Sid Lowe gem.
Manchester United make three changes to the side that started the FA Cup defeat to Fulham. Harry Maguire and Manuel Ugarte are injured, while Christan Eriksen drops to the bench. Patrick Dorgu, Casemiro and Alejandro Garnacho take their places.
Hosts Real Sociedad must do without star midfielder Martín Zubimendi, who is ill. But they’re boosted by the return of captain and leading goalscorer Mikel Oyarzabal.
The teams
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Elustondo, Aguerd, Zubeldia, Munoz, Sucic, Turrientes, Mendez, Kubo, Oyarzabal, Barrenetxea.
Subs: Marrero, Oskarsson, Becker, Lopez, Olasagasti, Gomez, Traore, Aramburu, Marin, Martin, Beitia, Mariezkurrena.
Manchester United: Onana, Mazraoui, de Ligt, Yoro, Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu, Zirkzee, Hojlund, Garnacho.
Subs: Harrison, Lindelof, Eriksen, Heaven, Amass, Collyer, Mee.
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (Slovakia).
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Preamble
Manchester United are back, baby! No, not like that, unfortunately for their long-suffering fans. They are back in San Sebastian, though, where they’ll fancy themselves to keep their season alive. United won at Anoeta in 2022 thanks to Alejandro Garnacho’s first goal for the club; they drew there in 2013 despite Marouane Fellaini getting himself sent off. They also routed the Basques 4-0 away in 2021, albeit in Turin thanks to Covid. So their record on the road against Erreala is very good indeed.
That should give them succour, after their latest dispiriting performance against Fulham in the FA Cup last weekend. They’ll also be thankful that Sociedad aren’t quite up to their recent standards, languishing in mid-table in La Liga and coming off the back of a 4-0 thrashing at Barcelona. Although ninth place when compared to United’s 14th in the Premier … but let’s not belabour the point or put the boot in while the Red Devils are down. Suffice to say this could go either way, the current-form guide being of bugger all use, but history suggests United have a chance here to get things moving in the right direction again, and hold onto those Europa League dreams. Kick-off is at 5.45pm GMT. It’s on!
