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"What can't you do?"
Harry Maguire, who endured years of humiliation, is presenting Manchester United with the best joy. Manchester United defeated Athletic Bilbao of Spain 3-0 in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals of the 2024-2025 season at San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, on the 2nd (Korean time). Even if he loses the second game at home on the 9th by less than two goals, he can make the final stage.
Manchester United took the lead in the 30th minute with Casemiro's first goal. I followed my luck. Bilbao center back Dani Vivian received a direct red card after an on-field review following VAR (video reading) in the 36th minute of the first half.
It was decided that Rasmus Hoylun's decisive goal opportunity was fouled. Manchester United also received a penalty and Bruno Fernandes calmly scored an additional goal. Fernandes was also responsible for the netting in the 45th minute of the first half. Manchester United broke the trend early on, scoring all three goals in the first half.
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Still, the best topic was sprinkled by Maguire. On the 18th of last month, he completed a miracle in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals against Olympique Lyon (France). A theater header goal in the 16th minute, which was added in the second half of extra time after a slugfest, led Manchester United to the semifinals. Maguire drew more attention by changing his position from center back to front-line striker when the tide turned in overtime.
In the game against Bilbao, he got a new nickname. He showed dribbles and crosses reminiscent of Brazilian legend Ronaldinho and was reborn as 'Haragenew'. It is not an exaggeration to say that England's 'BBC' is the best of Maguire in the Europa League. 29 minutes into the match, he played like Ronaldinho, silencing the home fans.
Maguire is the main player who set the stage for Casemiro's first goal. Joining the attack on a free-kick set piece, he caught the ball on the right flank. He turned into a winger for a moment.
Maguire crossed after beating his opponent with a spectacular dribble and a change of direction with Bilbao midfielder Mikel Yauregisar in front. The ball was connected to Casemiro through Manuel Ugarte's header. Casemiro scored with a header.
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Phil Jones, who was with Manchester United, said on the BBC"I didn't know Maguire had that ability. Honestly, I've never seen it in training before."
Fernandes, who scored two goals on the day, said "Captain"He was a really great winger. He didn't even know he was such a winger"The Maguire is much more confident now. His position is getting stronger when he plays, and he's a very good leader. I hope it will continue to develop in the future."
Manchester United acquired Maguire for 80 million pounds (about 153 billion won), the highest transfer fee ever for a defender in 2019. It wasn't a bad start, with an early appointment as captain, but a decisive mistake hampered him.
Maguire was pushed to the back-up after coach Erik ten Hach took the helm in 2022. The captaincy was also deprived. He was on the verge of a move to West Ham in the summer of 2023. However, despite all the humiliation, he chose to try again at Manchester United.
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Ten Hag was fired in October last year. Maguire settled down after head coach Ruben Amorim took the helm. Maguire's contract with Manchester United was scheduled to end at the end of this season, but Manchester United triggered a one-year extension in January.
Manager Amorim said, `Sometimes in our lives, we go through difficult moments like Maguire. At the moment, everything he does helps the team. We have to enjoy ourselves," he said with a thumbs up.
Even though it was a hawk, the smile was in full bloom. He said "Alejandro Garnacho passed the ball to me, and I liked it when I got a good cross with a little dribbleThere were a lot of players in the box, but I think my teammates believed I was going to cross. I felt good, and I had a great header shot."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
