MU 3-0 Olympiakos (3-2 aggregate): Van Persie saves the Red Devils

The pressure has been lifted off David Moyes' shoulders as MU overcame the challenge of Olympiakos with an impressive comeback at home. The Red Devils' main contributor to this victory was striker Van Persie with a perfect hat-trick.

Van Persie shines with a hat-trick

GOAL SCORER:

MU: Van Persie (25', 45'+1, 52')

The biggest surprise in MU's starting lineup in this match was the inclusion of veteran Ryan Giggs from the start. David Moyes hoped that with his experience, Giggs could help MU overcome the difficult times. In fact, the Scottish coach did not make a mistake with this decision, as the Welsh legend played brilliantly, contributing greatly to the implementation of the playing style as well as maintaining the mental stability of MU players on the field.

Not only did Giggs contribute mentally, his technical skills were also clearly demonstrated in this match. The MU number 11's high-precision passes, long passes, and short passes many times helped his teammates in the front line have the opportunity to approach the opponent's goal. Rooney's header hitting the post in the 18th minute after Giggs' assist was a typical situation.

With good coordination from the midfield with the presence of Carrick and Giggs, Rooney and Persie had more space to receive the ball up front. In the 23rd minute, Van Persie was pushed down by defender Hoelbas in the penalty area when controlling a long pass from Giggs. It was the Dutch striker who took the accurate penalty kick, opening the score for MU.

With an early goal, MU played more comfortably and put pressure on their opponents, while Olympiakos clearly lost confidence. In the final minutes of the first half, when the away team suddenly exploded, they were hit by a counterattack. A move started from Giggs' accurate long pass to Rooney, the English striker after a few moments of control passed the ball conveniently to Van Persie who was waiting in the penalty area, who tapped the ball close to the goal, increasing the gap to 2 goals for the home team.

Entering the second half, the psychological pressure was relieved, MU returned to their "killer" style at home. In the 50th minute, Rooney and Van Persie had a smart free kick combination: Rooney was the one who ran up to pretend to shoot the ball, but Van Persie was the one who launched the final shot. Surprised, goalkeeper Roberto stood still, helplessly watching the ball fly straight into the net. 3-0 for MU At this point, the door to the quarter-finals was wide open before the home team.

After scoring 3 goals, MU proactively gave the game back to the away team, and retreated to their own half to protect the score. This caused some concern for their fans, as Olympiakos sometimes created dangerous situations. However, the away team's strikers' scoring luck was no longer the same as in the first leg. The match ended with MU's victory remaining, meaning a ticket to the quarter-finals, but with a slight blemish, Van Persie's serious injury, forcing him to leave the field on a stretcher.

The defeat against Liverpool has temporarily receded, giving way to the joy of this victory. Although there is still a lot of work to be done, this is considered a timely sedative for the serious illness of the Red Devils of Manchester.

LINE-UP

MU:De Gea - Rafael, Ferdinand, Jones, Evra - Carrick, Giggs, Valencia (Young 77'), Welbeck (Fletcher 82') - Rooney, Van Persie (Fellaini 90'+1).

Olympiacos:Roberto – Salino (Machado 74'), Manolas, Marcano, Holebas - Ndinga, Maniatis, Perez (Valdez 57'), Fuster (Vergos 82') - Dominguez, Campbell.

According to Bongdaplus