Alejandro says that the performance of Atlante Madrid is a reflection of how bad Manchester United has been. (2:13)
At just 19 years old, Anthony Elanga is quickly becoming indispensable to Manchester United, and he may have kept his club's ambitions alive with a crucial equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw in their round-of-16 first-leg match against Atlante.
United had been outrun and outfought by their determined opponents, who started without five key players because of injury, suspension or lack of match, and failed to register a shot on target before Elanga's goal. The Sweden U21 forward had only been on the pitch for five minutes, having replaced Marcus Rashford on 75 minutes, but he produced a nerveless finish to guide Bruno's pass beyond goalkeeper Jan Oblak with a first-time shot.
I think it was my first touch, it was a dream come true.
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I told you how calm and cool I am, and whenever I am given an opportunity, I want to repay the manager and give 150%.
In the last few weeks, United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has made some pretty effective replacements, none more so than when he sent Elanga and Fred on in the second half and they scored two goals in a row to seal a 4-2 win at Leeds United on Sunday.
Elanga looked more decisive than the player he replaced during his brief appearance. The lack of form that has seen him score just two times in 18 appearances since the end of October is making him feel a crisis of confidence, and his body language hints at a growing frustration with himself and his teammates.
Where Elanga was clinical with his finish and energetic in his pressing, and it led to a booking for a second-half foul after one loose pass too many, and it was where Rashford let him down. Elanga and United need to be aware of the fact that Rashford was performing the role that Elanga is doing at the time.
On February 25, 2016 at Old United, Marcus Rashford made his debut with two goals in a win against FC Midtjylland. He made the England squad for the Euro 2016 after scoring eight goals in 18 games.
At the time, he played with a freedom that suggested he did not have a care in the world. Elanga must be aware of the pitfalls that lie ahead because he became United's youngest ever goal scorer in the knockout stages.
In all the games he has played so far, Anthony shows that he is enjoying himself on the pitch. He is always trying to show off his weapons.
He is bringing a freshness to the United forward line, and he needs to keep performing while the other forwards struggle, and he displays the cutting edge that he showed when he returned to Old United. In truth, the goal against Atleti was the final nail in the coffin of the cracks that appeared for United in the Spanish capital.
Their inconsistency and appearance of being a disorganized team was the reason why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired in November. The former Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig coach has made changes to personnel on the pitch, but United have lost just once in 16 games under his leadership.
The weaknesses of United were exploited against two of the best teams in the world. Without Scott McTominay and with no sense of being in control of the game, the United side lacked bite and were dominated in the middle by Geoffrey Kondogbia.
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At right-back, where Victor Lindelof was selected ahead of Diogo Dalot, United were repeatedly targeted by the team who went ahead on seven minutes when Joao Felix scored. Sime Vrsaljko andAntoine Griezmann both hit the bar for the Spanish champions, but United were fortunate to still be in the game when Elanga was thrown on.
We played without conviction, without aggression, and that is why we were struggling. I was disappointed by the performance in the first half and we have to play better in the first half.
The way we scored the goal was exactly what we need to play with more conviction. This is how we have to play against them.
By getting a draw through Elanga, United will get a better chance to beat Atleti and end their poor run against Spanish opponents. In each of the past four seasons, United has lost to Spanish clubs.
At times, it seemed like a fifth successive Spanish exit would be inevitable, but Elanga has kept United on course for the last eight.
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