VILLARREAL BEAT MAN UNITED TO LIFT FIRST MAJOR TROPHY

"Football, bloody hell!”

This was quoted by Sir Alex Ferguson on Manchester United's dramatic Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich in 1999. The same quote came and haunt them exactly 22 years later when United was beaten at the final of Europa League in the night of 26 May 2021.

United 2nd in the Premier League, is the favorite to clinch this trophy where Villarreal looked bewildered in the La Liga sitting only at 7th place in the table not even made the cut in any of the European Tournament.

But Villarreal, against all the odds have won the Europa League after defeating Manchester United 11-10 in a penalty shoot-out after drew 1 all in the 90 minutes leading up to the shootout.

Neither side able to find the winner after extra-time, the game headed to penalties in front of 9,500 fans at the Stadion Miejsk in Gdansk.

In form and evergreen striker Edinson Cavani's strike cancelled out Gerard Moreno's first-half effort paying it forward when the Ole Gunnar Solksjaer signed him for another year earlier this month. Meanwhile the ill-fated United goalkeeper David De Gea missed the deciding spot-kick and unable to block any of the goals against him in this 21 goals shootout thriller.

The trophy is Villarreal's first ever piece of major European silverware and manager Unai Emery's fourth triumph in the competition.

United team left Poland to lick their wounds in an otherwise an exciting campaign but unable to show any silverware since Solksjaer' arrival at Old Trafford in 2018. He will continue to rebuild this club next season and perhaps with a couple of great signings, United can be the European football force to be reckon with again.

By Faiz Hakim | Photos Europa League

ASIA SPORTS CHANNEL

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