Elanga’s late draw saves Manchester United from Atletico Madrid
A late goal from substitute Anthony Elanga rescued a 1-1 draw for Manchester United at Atletico Madrid in their UEFA Champions League last-16 first-leg clash on Wednesday.
Manchester United, looking disjointed and lacking spark, were cornered from the start by a relentless Atletico Madrid.
The Spanish side opened the scoring after seven minutes with a brilliant header by Joao Felix from Renan Lodi’s cross.
However, with just 10 minutes remaining, Manchester United scored with their first real chance of the match.
Elanga, having only come on five minutes earlier, coolly slotted past goalkeeper Jan Oblak following Bruno Fernandes’ through ball.
“The truth is I’m annoyed. I don’t think we deserved to draw. We did a lot to win. We were totally superior to them in almost every aspect of play,” Atletico Madrid’s Josema Gimenez said after the game.
Atletico Madrid domainated the first half, in spite of Manchester United dominating possession.
This is because Ralf Rangnick’s side failed to register a single touch in the opposition’s penalty area throughout the opening 45 minutes.
The home side’s manager Diego Simeone was rewarded in his decision to start Felix in attack alongside Angel Correa with Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann on the substitutes’ bench.
Meanwhile, Rangnick opting to start Victor Lindelof, traditionally a central defender, as a right-back appeared to backfire.
The Sweden international was targeted by Lodi and it was down their left side that the hosts looked most dangerous.
Sime Vrsaljko almost doubled Atletico Madrid’s lead on the stroke of half-time as his effort hit against the bar after Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes had got a touch on Lodi’s cross.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been Atletico Madrid’s chief tormentor in the Champions League for both Real Madrid and Juventus, failed to influence proceedings this time around.
Meanwhile, four-time winner Raphael Varane looked nervous on his return to the Spanish capital.
Atletico Madrid went in search of the second goal their performance deserved as they sent on Griezmann and Thomas Lemar in the 75th minute.
But the hosts failed to add a crucial second goal and it was Manchester United who got the late strike through Elanga.
Griezmann hit the Manchester United bar with a stunning curling effort four minutes from time.
The return leg will be played at Old Trafford on March 15.
(Reuters/NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
World
Russian strike on humanitarian centre killed at least 26 Ukrainians: Officials
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described it as “a vile terrorist strike”, accusing Russia of deliberately targeting civilians receiving humanitarian assistance.
Economy
Continent’s financial leaders to meet at 2026 Africa Compliance Forum
Afreximbank said African banks operated under different legal systems and supervisory approaches, making regulatory cooperation crucial to reducing trade barriers.
Politics
2027 Elections: ‘We won’t go to court; matter will be settled on the streets,’ says ADC chief
“We are announcing to Tinubu and the APC that this time around, we will defend ourselves. We will not go to court; we will settle the matter on the streets,” said the ADC chief.
Faith
Sultan of Sokoto’s reign has reunited Christians, Muslims in Nigeria: Tinubu
Mr Tinubu described the sultan as “a moral authority, a bridge between faiths, a voice of moderation, and a steady counsellor to leaders across the country”.
Lagos
Lagos gives ISPs deadline to clean up network cables
LASIMRA warned that enforcement operations would begin on Monday, urging all concerned firms to complete the required work before the deadline to avoid sanctions.
Economy
Trump removes South Africa from AGOA citing corruption, national security concerns
The suspension would take effect on January 1, 2027, further complicating already strained relations between Washington and South Africa.
