Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hailed Marcus Rashford for his lack of nerves in helping the Red Devils reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Trailing by one goal on aggregate going into injury time, United were awarded a controversial penalty for handball on Presnel Kimpembe. Knowing his side’s fate was in his hands, Rashford calmly stepped up despite the VAR delay to send United through.
How did Rashford prove his lack of nerves? Five key things to know…
- Manchester United were trailing 3-2 on aggregate to PSG going into injury time of their Champions League last-16 second leg.
- On the brink of going out, Red Devils were awarded a late penalty as Presnel Kimpembe was punished for handball.
- Marcus Rashford stepped up to take the spot and duly converted, completing United’s historic comeback.
- And Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised Rashford for his lack of fear, though admitted he was worried the 21-year-old would miss.
- The effort was Marcus Rashford’s first ever competitive penalty for Manchester United.
The goal, along with a brace from Romelu Lukaku, saw United complete an unlikely comeback having lost the first leg 2-0 at home, though fingers will be pointed at Paris Saint-Germain for another lost lead.
But, after the game, despite the performances of both teams, a lot of praise was focussed on Rashford and his calmness in front of goal. And Solskjaer was quick to join in.
“I was in the Champions League with Molde and we got a penalty in the last minute against Basel, but my player missed and we went out,” he told BT Sport after the game.
“So this time … normally Paul [Pogba] takes the penalties, but this time Rashford took it, he’s only 21 and nerveless. Him and Rom were fantastic tonight.
“Real Madrid and Ajax was our team-talk. We always know it’s possible, and this club, it’s what we do, that’s Man United! I haven’t seen the penalty, the referee had a big call to make.
“My staff say he made himself bigger and it was a clear penalty.”
However, in his post-match press conference, the Norwegian did admit he had some doubts as to whether Rashford would convert his dramatic penalty.
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“He’s fearless,” he said.
“I wasn’t sure he was going to score. But Rashford and Rom were on penalties, and Rashford slotted it in brilliantly.”
The win saw United become the first team in Champions League history to progress to the next round after losing the first leg at home by at least two goals. But despite this, Solskjaer remained quiet on whether he will become United’s new permanent boss.
He added: “No no no no. Wait until the summer, we’ll see what happens.”
Rashford: The wait before penalty was “hardest thing”
The magnitude of the penalty alone would have been enough to make any top class player nervous, let alone one still as young as Rashford.
But the 21-year-old calmly dispatched from the spot, against veteran Gianluigi Buffon, in what was remarkably his first penalty for United in a competitive game.
1 penalty taken.
1 penalty scored.Marcus Rashford: match-winner, history-maker.
pic.twitter.com/2acl8nfkrb
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 6, 2019
And Rashford admitted the wait beforehand was the hardest part of the spot-kick.
He told reporters: “I think, ‘Just keep a cool head.’ You practice that every day and I wanted to take it. That’s probably the hardest thing, the wait before. Those moments are what we live for.
“Everything was against us but we are used to surviving in these moments and we proved that again. We can still improve and we need to keep pushing.
“It’s a great thing. Ten players out, but for them (the youngsters who came in) it’s a chance to come forward. They’ve trained every day and it’s what they deserve.”
The post “I wasn’t sure” – Man Utd’s ‘fearless’ forward proved Solskjaer wrong vs PSG appeared first on Squawka News.
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