Yesterday, against a long-fought game between Manchester United and Copenhagen there was no short of good performances by players of both the teams. Copenhagen’s keeper Karl-Johan Johnsson made 13 saves- highest by any goalkeeper in a match. United’s Anthony Martial was world-class displaying a proper center-forward role. Bruno Fernandes created chances and scored the penalty to put United into the semi-finals.
But the performance which really strikes out was the one by the veteran Spaniard Juan Mata.
Juan Mata came on the field as a substitute in the 90th minute, provided a brilliant ball to Martial in the box which could have led our opponents to commit a foul against him which eventually led to a match-winning penalty
In his last game against LASK in the 2nd leg in Europa League Round of 16, he grabbed two assists in a 2-1 win. He is unhappy about less game time but still remains effective off the bench
In the post-match conference Soljasker had nothing but praises for the veteran Spanish he praised him for his professionalism.
“You saw when he came on, he’s so composed, calm,’ ‘He can pick a pass. He is such a great influence in the dressing room. I can just commend him for his professionalism.”
Mata turned 32 in April. It is not a secret that he cannot start major Premier League or Champions League games next season. However, his presence in the dressing room [aforementioned], weekly blogs and Common Goal project makes him a brilliant personality altogether.
United will face either Sevilla or Wolves in the next round, with the two teams facing each other in the quarter-final tie today.
United are in full throttle to win Europa league and Mata is expected to play a role in it.
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