Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo were on target as Manchester United confirmed their place in the Europa League last 16 with a 2-0 win at FCSB. (More Football News)
The Red Devils came to life after a turgid fir💙st 45 minutes at Arಌena Nationala, with Dalot finishing from Mainoo's wicked low ball.
Provider turned goalscorer when Mainoo brilliantly guided in fr🔜om Alejandro Garnacho's centre in a game where United twice struck the woodwork and the hosts also hit the crossbar.
United were already extremely likely to go directly to the last-16 stage and three points in Buc♛harest means they finish third in the league-phase standings.
Mihai Pope♍scu guided wide from Risto Radunovic's free-kick when he ought to have scored before Mainoo blasted over from 12 yards after good work fr✃om Rasmus Hojlund, in an otherwise tepid first half.
Garnacho, on as a second-half substitute, pounced on a loose back pass immediately after the restart but could on✱ly clip the right post when oꦓne-on-one with Stefan Tarnovanu.
Bruno Fernandes then smashed the crossbar with a thunderous 35-yard drive before United made the breakthrough. A quick Amad Dia♓llo throw-in from the right was played brilliantly across the face of goal by Mainoo and tapped in by Dalot.
Daniel Birligea almost caught the visitors cold with a stunnin𝔍g long-range effort that whacked the underside of the bar – Florin Tanase headed the rebound wastefully wide but was offside anyway.
United took control of the game when Garnacho's low centre from the left was slotted ♓into the bottom-ri𒅌ght corner from 12 yards by Mainoo, and they saw it out in relative comfort.
Data Debrief: Mainoo emulates Rooney
Mainoo was a clear dangerman for United throughout in Bucharest and finished with a goal and an🐟 assist on his first major European start.
He becomes the first player to do that for the Red Devils since Wayne Ro♋oney, the club's record goalscorer, did so back in Septem🐠ber 2004 against Fenerbahce.
Victory here represented a fifth straight win in the Europa League for United, hav🍎ing last put together as many in Europe's secondary competition betw▨een September 15 and November 3, 2022.
FCSB ensured a play-off spot in 11th, but they failed to score in four of their league-phase games. Only Ludogorets and ⛦Dynamo Kyiv (both five) have failed to score more often in the Europa League this season.
