Rasmus Hojlund came off the bench to score twice to help Manchester United record a hard-fought 2-1 comeback away win against Viktoria Plzen, in one of the matchday six Europa League fixtures played on Thursday night, Afrosport reports.
Viktoria Plzen dictated play in the early stages of the first half, unlike their lethargic opponents, and were unlucky not to find the breakthrough as the half ended goalless.
The hosts, however, took the lead in the 48th minute through Matej Vydra after another high-profile error by United goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The Cameroon international’s attempted pass to defender Matthijs de Ligt was intercepted by Pavel Sulic who squared to an unmarked Vydra to tap into an empty net.
Ruben Amorim responded by bringing in Rasmus Hojlund for Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount for Joshua Zirkzee, and Antony for Tyrell Malacia.
Hojlund wasted no time in making his presence felt as he got his side back on level terms following a fine interchange of passes from Antony and Amad Diallo.
The former Atalanta forward then scored what proved to be the decider in the 88th minute, finishing off a quickly taken Bruno Fernandes freekick.
The Red Devils held on to the result despite a late onslaught by the hosts.
The win sees United move up to seventh on the log, presently securing an automatic round of 16 spot.
Matchday 6 🍿✅#UEL pic.twitter.com/XbDhTEobgd
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) December 12, 2024
In other fixtures; Lazio defeated Ajax 3-1 in Amsterdam to go top of the log, Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur played out a pulsating 1-1 draw, Roma thrashed Sporting Braga 3-0, Lyon handed Eintracht Frankfurt a 3-2 defeat, the first of the league phase, while Real Sociedad humbled Dynamo Kyiv 3-0.
In other selected results, Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated FK RFS 2-1, FC Porto secured a 2-0 victory over FC Midtjylland, Union St. Gilloise defeated Nice 2-1, as Hoffenheim and FC Steaua Bucuresti settled for a goalless draw.
