Manchester United drew 1-1 with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday night. A depleted United squad, still recovering from their FA Cup exit at the hands of Fulham, made the trip to northern Spain.
Despite being understrength, they took the lead early in the second half thanks to a goal from Joshua Zirkzee. Up until that point, they had been slightly better than their Spanish hosts. However, a controversial penalty midway through the second half, converted by Mikel Oyarzabal, leveled things for Sociedad.
The equalizer gave Real Sociedad a boost, and they finished the match the stronger of the two teams. Manchester United’s goalkeeper Andre Onana was crucial in keeping the score even, making two big saves, including one in stoppage time. As a result, the tie remains evenly poised heading into the second leg at Old Trafford next week.
Player ratings for Real Sociedad showed standout performances from Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored the equalizer and earned an 8.1 rating. Meanwhile, for Manchester United, Zirkzee was named player of the match with a strong 8.3 rating. Onana also impressed with a solid 7.5 performance in goal.
Real Sociedad’s Player Ratings:
- Alex Remiro (GK): 6.4/10
- Aritz Elustondo (RB): 7.3/10
- Igor Zubeldia (CB): 6.7/10
- Nayef Aguerd (CB): 7.3/10
- Aihen Munoz (LB): 7.3/10
- Brais Mendez (CM): 6.8/10
- Benat Turrientes (CM): 6.5/10
- Luka Sucic (CM): 7.0/10
- Takefusa Kubo (RW): 6.7/10
- Mikel Oyarzabal (ST, captain): 8.1/10
- Ander Barrenetxea (LW): 6.7/10
Substitutes:
- Orri Oskarsson (63′ for Barrenetxea): 6.0/10
- Jon Aramburu (63′ for Elustondo): 6.3/10
- Pablo Marin (63′ for Turrientes): 6.5/10
- Sheraldo Becker (81′ for Kubo): N/A
- Jon Olasagasti (88′ for Sucic): N/A
Manchester United’s Player Ratings:
- Andre Onana (GK): 7.5/10
- Leny Yoro (CB): 7.2/10
- Matthijs de Ligt (CB): 7.5/10
- Noussair Mazraoui (CB): 7.4/10
- Diogo Dalot (RM): 6.8/10
- Casemiro (CM): 7.2/10
- Bruno Fernandes (CM, captain): 6.6/10
- Patrick Dorgu (LM): 6.6/10
- Alejandro Garnacho (RF): 7.6/10
- Rasmus Hojlund (ST): 6.5/10
- Joshua Zirkzee (LF): 8.3/10
Substitutes:
- Christian Eriksen (78′ for Garnacho): 6.1/10
- Toby Collyer (88′ for Zirkzee): N/A
- Victor Lindelof (88′ for Yoro): N/A
Player of the Match: Joshua Zirkzee (8.3/10)
