Man U meet Roma in semis as OGS targets UEL title
MANCHESTER: Winning the Europa League would be fitting reward at the end of a tough season for Manchester United, their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Thursday after his team completed a 4-0 aggregate win over Granada in the quarter-finals.
United produced two efficient performances to ease past the Spanish team, drawing praise from Solskjaer after a 2-0 win in the home leg ahead of a semi-final against Italian side Roma.
Edinson Cavani opened the scoring after just five minutes and Jesus Vallejo’s last-minute own goal sealed the win for United.
“Two-nil, clean sheet, some good individual performances,” Solskjaer told BT Sport. “We’re full of confidence going into Sunday [in the Premier League at home to Burnley].
“If we can finish the season with a trophy that’d be great.”
United thrashed Roma 7-1 at Old Trafford to reach the 2007 Champions League semis, but Solskjaer said his team must be wary of the Italian side’s defensive steel and striker Edin Dzeko’s finishing.
“They defend well, as Italian teams always do. We all know Edin Dzeko so every ball into the box is a dangerous one.
“We are looking forward to it. We’re in the semis. It feels like a proper European tie because Roma is a club with lots of history. We’ve done well against Italian sides before.”
Roma advanced after holding Ajax to a 1-1 draw to go through to the last four 3-2 on aggregate.
Dzeko’s strike 18 minutes from time ensured the draw and passage for Paulo Fonseca’s side.
The other semi-final will see Arsenal face Villarreal, coached by former Gunners boss Unai Emery.
The Gunners hammered Slavia Prague 4-0 to go through 5-1 on aggregate.
Mikel Arteta’s men scored three goals within six minutes of the first half.
Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka crammed their goals in between the 18th and 24th minutes and Lacazette then added another in the second half.
Emery, who was succeeded by Arteta at the Emirates, is on course to claim his fourth Europa League crown as a coach after his Villarreal team made short work of Dinamo Zagreb in a 2-1 win to qualify 3-1 on aggregate.