After contributing to a fantastic first leg at the Nou Camp, Marcus Rashford informed Barcelona that Manchester United “knows we can harm them.”
In a thrilling game in the Europa League play-off round, United had a chance to win, but they were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw. After Marcos Alonso had given Barcelona the lead, Marcus Rashford completely changed the outcome of the match by scoring and then forcing Jules Kounde’s own goal.
After producing a Europa League classic in Catalonia, the two teams will square off again at Old Trafford on Thursday. Raphinha’s equalizer, however, set for a crazy finish.
Rashford was frustrated to have to accept a tie after United missed a number of wonderful opportunities before he blasted in a finish from a tight angle for his 22nd goal of the year.
Even though Kounde appeared to trip the forward just outside the box, the forward was disappointed not to be awarded a free kick. Still, he believes the performance offers lots of hope for the second leg.
He said to MUTV, “I feel like the situation today is disheartening; I believed that we were in good form and we were hurting them.
“At 2-1, it’s a big moment for me. It’s a foul, and it’s outside the box. The game’s dynamics are altered by the red card. I don’t know why the referee believes I’m about to fall. I’m at a loss as to what to do because I’m one-on-one with the keeper and there is no benefit to me in losing.
“Now is the time to continue. This outcome is something we can change. Without a doubt, we can retract the performance. We have a league game in between, but we know we can hurt them in the next game.
“They got the game off to a great start, in my opinion. They were in good hands and under good control. In the first half, we had our moments but not many clear-cut opportunities.
“Simply enjoyable experiences that missed out on wonderful opportunities. Because no one was there when Bruno’s ball crossed the face of the goal in an opening couple of minutes, it wasn’t really a chance, but it was still a huge opportunity for us. We simply need to take more chances and try to position ourselves in front of the goalkeeper and the six-yard box for tap-ins.
“Big moments were what made the difference, and I believe we capitalized on them, especially in the second half, although we maybe could have done more in the first. They are a quality squad, though, and today’s performance met our expectations for their playing style and equipment as well as our own. One to develop and enhance.”
Marc-Andre ter Stegen was unable to stop Rashford’s low, clean finish because the 25-year-old demonstrated that he had just a few options after latching onto Fred’s through ball.
“To be really honest, I didn’t have a lot of choices for finishes. It either goes high to the near post or goes low, and I simply felt like going low from that angle could offer me a better opportunity “says he.
“I just made up my mind and ran it through, and happily, it worked.”