Meet Rostov, United boss Mourinho’s nightmare opponents in Europa League last 16
>> LONDON: Jose Mourinho was handed his nightmare Europa League draw on Friday as Manchester United were rewarded for beating Saint Etienne with a long trip to FC Rostov, one of the two Russian sides left in the last 16 of the competition.
Rostov-on-Don is a port city on the Don River, which flows into the Sea of Azov. It is not far from the border with Ukraine and the disputed Donetsk region. Only Kuban Krasnodar, of the teams in the last 16, is a longer trip from Manchester and the difference is marginal.
This means that United will take the long journey all the way to Rostov to play there on Thursday 9 March, returning to play their FA Cup quarter-final at Stamford Bridge on Monday 13th. They will then have just two rest days before hosting Rostov in the second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday 16th. The travelling involved, then, puts United’s ability to be at their best at Chelsea in serious doubt.
When United get to Rostov they will face one of the surprise packages in Russian football from the last few seasons. FC Rostov finished second in the Russian Premier League last season but have done even better to make it into the last-16 of the Europa League. They beat Anderlecht and Ajax in the third qualifying and playoff rounds for the Champions League and then held their own in the group stage this year.
Rostov famously beat Bayern Munich 3-2 at their Olimp-2 stadium in November and ended up finishing third in Group D, ahead of PSV Eindhoven, ensuring their qualification for this competition.
Rostov earned a 1-1 draw at Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic on Thursday for a 5-1 win on aggregate to go through to the Europa League last 16 round.
They have done it all with basic, efficient football, maximising setpieces and defending solidly. It was masterminded by manager Kurban Berdyev, an observant Muslim from Turkmenistan who has prayer beads with him on the bench for games.
It has been especially surprising given that they do not have the big money that Zenit St Petersburg or the Moscow sides can throw at players. The club is owned by the Rostov regional government and they have got in trouble in the past for irregular payments to players.
There will be five World Cup games played in Rostov but they will be at the new Rostov Arena, which is not finished yet and will replace the ageing old ground where Rostov play now.
The progress of the club this far, with not much money and no big players, is a miracle in itself and they could never have hoped for an arrival as big as Manchester United on 9 March. It is a nightmare for United, but a dream for their hosts.