Man against Boys as Pog hits double
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC Paul Pogba inspired Manchester United to a flying start to their Champions League campaign.
Pogba, skipper for the night in the absence of Antonio Valencia, scored twice and made the third for Anthony Martial (right).
United swept aside concerns over the artificial pitch in the Stade de Suisse with a
PAUL POGBA produced a world-class display to ensure it did not turn out drastic on the plastic for Manchester United here.
Pogba, skipper for the night, steadied early nerves on the artificial surface in the Stade de Suisse with two first-half goals, one of them a penalty.
And in the second half his surging midfield run and pass set up the third scored by Anthony Martial to ensure Jose Mourinho’s side made a flying start to their Champions League campaign in Bern and continued to emerge from their early-season troubles with a third straight win.
Of all United’s players, Pogba looked completely at home on the unfamiliar surface and got a handshake from Mourinho when given a breather with the game safe.
But before his goals, United needed David De Gea to produce two fine saves to stop them falling behind, with Young Boys having taken command.
Mourinho recalled Marcus Rashford and Martial to give pace and width either side of Romelu Lukaku, who had happy memories of this ground, having scored in Everton’s 4-1 Europa League win here in 2015.
But they did not get much chance to shine in the first half-hour when United struggled to make headway as an attacking force and had plenty of anxious moments. Fred was back in midfield and there was a long-awaited debut for the club’s other main summer signing, Diogo Dalot, at right-back.
Young Boys were fired up for their first appearance in the Champions League after ending a 32-year wait to win the Swiss title.
Kevin Mbabu lifted their hopes with a surging 50-yard run down the right to underline the Swiss club’s danger on the break. Guillaume Hoarau glanced a header just wide and De Gea had to tip over long-range drives from Mohamed Ali Camara and Christian Fassnacht, who also had a goal-bound shot blocked by Victor Lindelof. Lukaku fired into the side netting, while Rashford flicked a chance wide.
But they laboured to make clear-cut chances and Mourinho, beaten on his previous two trips to Switzerland, looked concerned it could be a third as he prowled and growled in his technical area.
Pogba eased his and
United anxieties with a goal against the run of play on 35 minutes.
There was no doubting the quality of the strike though. He started the move with a pass to Fred and when the ball broke back to him on the edge of the penalty area he shaped to shoot on his right foot, then checked back onto his left past Ali Camara before firing just inside a post.
Two minutes before the break, Pogba put United in control with his second, from the penalty spot, after Luke Shaw’s cross was handled by Steve von Bergen.
The visitors could feel hugely relieved to have a twogoal advantage at the break as it could so easily have been the other way round.
The lead steadied nerves and the Reds looked far more assured at the start of the second half.
Pogba’s goals had clearly sucked much of the confidence and enthusiasm out of Young Boys, but he had not finished and burst through midfield to set up Martial for the goal that made the game safe for United.
Martial (celebrating, left) cut in from the right and his shot took a deflection on its way past keeper David von Ballmoos. It was his first of the season and should be a confidence-builder.
The three-goal cushion allowed Mourinho to make changes, Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata coming on for Fred and Rashford. His work done, Pogba gave way to Andreas Pereira on 75 minutes.