MOURINHO’S UNITED LANDS TROPHY
A GUTTURAL roar of “Manchester, Manchester” thundered around the Friends Arena at the fulltime whistle.
Purely in soccer terms, Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Ajax in the Europa League final yesterday was a triumph of significance for England’s biggest club.
On a wider level, it was also a moment to cheer for the team’s grieving home city.
Manchester was plunged into tragedy on Monday when 22 people were killed by a bomb attack at a concert in the city centre.
United’s players flew to Sweden with heavy hearts, vowing to deliver a display in their biggest match of the season that would serve as a tribute to the victims and families.
That they succeeded was a testament to their strength of character. It made this victory one to remember.
“Yesterday morning, we were devastated,” said midfielder Ander Herrera, dedicating the win to the victims.
“But the manager told us the only thing we could do was to win this for them.
“It’s just a football game, just a trophy, but if we can support them with this just 1 per cent, it’s enough for us.”
Paul Pogba scored off a deflected shot in the 18th minute — the France midfielder pointed to the sky in his celebrations — and Henrikh Mkhitaryan added a second in the 48th by deftly hooking home a close-range effort from a corner.
In tough circumstances, United handled the occasion better than Ajax, playing in its first European final in 21 years.
“I haven’t seen the Ajax that I am used to,” Ajax coach Peter Bosz said.
“They are not used to play a final. It was all new for them.”
For United coach Jose Mourinho, it was obvious the victory was a weight off his shoulders. Mourinho was thrown in the air by his coaching staff in the post-match celebrations and he rolled around on the ground with his son.
United’s season was always going to be defined by this game.
In his first season at Old Trafford, he has guided the team to two trophies and a place in next season’s Champions League, the bonus prize for winning the Europa League.
“Obviously there’s happiness from our achievement,” Mourinho said.
“But if we could, we’d change the peoples’ lives for this cup. We wouldn’t think