JOSE GETS REALITY CHECK
Lukaku raises hope but Madrid are too classy for United
THIS is what Jose Mourinho means when he talks about the difference between the Champions League and the Europa League.
Mourinho’s old club deservedly became the first to win back-toback UEFA Super Cups in 27 years on a sweltering night in Skopje, just as they have successfully defended the European Cup under Zinedine Zidane.
The Real coach called Mourinho’s bluff by playing Gareth Bale 24 hours after the Manchester United manager had suggested bidding for the Wales star if he was left out of the line-up — and Zidane won just about every other battle on the night as well.
Bale did not look like a player out of sorts in Spain and set up Madrid’s decisive second goal before hitting the bar himself. Casemiro also struck the woodwork for a Madrid side who were decidedly better than the scoreline suggests.
Replacing Cristiano Ronaldo, a late substitute, with Bale was the only change from the side that beat Juventus in the Champions League final in June, and they played like European champions here. United, on the other hand, look some way short of that level despite spending £136million on new signings this summer.
Nemanja Matic had an impressive competitive debut but Victor Lindelof struggled again in defence and Romelu Lukaku has significant room for improvement despite scoring the goal that gave Mourinho’s side hope of an unlikely comeback.
They deserve credit for taking it so close in the circumstances against opponents who were technically better and more polished. It’s easy to forget that United remain a team in transition.
But in the latter stages they were lumping the ball forward to Marouane Fellaini, playing with a heavily bandaged head, and that summed up the current gulf between the two clubs.
Mourninho said: ‘We found a way of creating difficulties and a kind of football they don’t like. I always say Champions League is one thing and Europa League is another.’
Both teams did well to produce such an entertaining spectacle in the conditions with temperatures still nudging above 30 degrees in the Macedoniana capitalap a just before kick- off, and requiring water breaks in both halves.
However United ed were forced too defend deep and increasingly desperately after making a bright start. Bale had already stabbed the ball just wide and Casemiro had headed against the e post from a cornerner before the latter gave Madrid the lead in the 24th minute.
Casemiro was hovering on the shoulder of Lindelof, perhaps marginally offside, when Dani Carvajal floated a pass over the top of the United defence. It was simple but very effective. While Lindelof was appealing in vain to the referee, the Brazilian anticipated the flight of the ball and met it with a controlled, first-time finish with his left foot beyond David de Gea.
On the few occasions Mourinho’s side threatened in the first half, tthe chance was wwasted through sheer carelessnness. Lukaku sstruggled to get intinto the game and his tame header at KeylKeylor Navas on the stroke of half- time was United’sUnite first attempt on target. Mourinho sent out Marcus Rashford to warm up before replacing Lingard at half-time, and then stood alone in the tunnel before wandering outside to sit on the bench. But the tide of the game continued to flow towards De Gea’s goal and he produced an excellent save to turn away Toni Kroos’ effort after he had been teed up by Bale. The former Tottenham player was again the provider when Real increased their lead in the 52nd minute. Again there was a sublime simplicity to the build-up as Isco took a pass infield from Karim Benzema and played the ball to Bale. The return pass was timed and weighted to perfection, playing in Isco behind the United defence. He took one touch and slipped the ball past a helpless De Gea.
Lukaku was guilty of a horrible miss, blazing over from less than 10 yards out after Navas could only palm Paul Pogba’s header from an Ander Herrera cross straight to him, before he fired United back into the game in the 62nd minute.
Bale had just crashed an effort against the underside of the bar from a difficult angle when Matic drilled a shot from the edge of the box. Again Navas couldn’t hold to it, perhaps explaining why Madrid coveted De Gea for so long, and Lukaku got free of a static Sergio Ramos to turn the loose ball home.
It raised United’s hopes of taking the game into extra-time, and they almost did it when Navas made amends with by turning Rashford’s scuffed effort past the post after Henrikh Mkhitaryan had sent the teenager through on goal.
But that would have flattered United as Real claimed their fourth UEFA Super Cup and left Mourinho waiting for his first after three unsuccessful attempts.
At the end, the United boss took off his loser’s medal almost immediately — as did most of his players — and handed it to a fan in the crowd.
There was nothing to celebrate here. Just a reminder of how much work remains to be done.