JAKARTA - Manchester United got good results when they visited Barcelona headquarters in the first leg of the Europa League last 16 playoffs. Red Devils managed to hold the Blaugrana to a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou Stadium, Friday, February 17 in the morning WIB.
Barcelona took the lead through Marcos Alonso's goal in the 50th minute. However, the hosts' advantage lasted only two minutes after United equalized through Marcus Rashford who received Fred's through ball.
United took the lead in the 59th minute with an own goal by Jules Kunde. Raphinha then equalized to the hosts at the end of the second half.
After the match, the two teams seemed to have complaints about the referee's performance. Both MU and Barcelona claims that there was a referee's decision that had harmed his team.
"I think the referee had a big influence on this match. It was a foul on Rashford," Manchester United manager Ten Hag told BT Sport.
"You can discuss whether it's inside or outside the box, but (however) it's a red card because (Rashford) is one-on-one with the goalkeeper."
"So it has a big impact, not only for this match, in this round. Referees should not make many mistakes like that," he said.
Meanwhile, Barcelona coach, Xavi, assessed that his team should get a penalty in this match. He saw that Manchester United midfielder, Fred, had committed a foul in the forbidden box.
"For me, it was a very clear penalty. I went to tell the referee. It was clear, that's my opinion and I know it won't change anything," he told Movistar+.
"The referee said the ball was too close to the body (Fred), but for me it wasn't. It was a clear penalty," he continued.
This result is profitable for MU. The reason is, they only need a 0-0 or 1-1 draw in the second leg to qualify. The second leg itself will take place on February 24, 2023 at Old Trafford.
Lineup
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jules Kunde, Ronald Araujo, Marcos Alonso (Andreas Christensen 67'), Jordi Alba (Alex Balde 67'); Pedri (Sergi Roberto 41'), Frenkie de Jong, Franck Kessie (Ansu Fati 67'); Raphinha (Ferran Torres 83'), Robert Lewandowski, Gavi.
Manchester United (4-1-4-1): David de Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw, handicraft Malacia; Casemiro, Fred; Jadon Sancho (Alejandro Garnacho 82'), Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Wout Weghorst.
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