STOCKHOLM — Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a goal in each half as their team comfortably outclassed Ajax Amsterdam to win an emotional Europa League final 2-0 and qualify for the group stages of the Champions League.
A minute’s silence held for the victims of Monday’s suicide bombing at a pop concert in Manchester in which 22 people died turned into applause as chants of “Manchester” and “We’ll Never Die” bellowed out from the English supporters before the match.
World record signing Pogba opened the scoring in the 18th minute as United won the ball after an Ajax throw-in, the Frenchman’s shot taking a wicked deflection to wrong-foot goalkeeper Andre Onana and fly into the net.
Mkhitaryan then flicked the ball home early in the second half following a corner and, with chants of “Manchester, Manchester” echoing around the stadium, United held on to win the one European trophy missing from the Old Trafford cabinet.
“We know things like this are very sad all over the world,” said Pogba referring to the attack. “We had to focus. Manchester — we won for them. We played for England, we played for Manchester and we played for them — the people who died.”
“I want to dedicate the trophy to the victims,” man of the match Herrera told reporters after Wednesday’s victory.
“This is just football but what happened on Monday was horrible. We want peace in the world and respect. This happened in Manchester but everywhere we have to be a united world to fight for peace and to have no more attacks.”
United’s triumph followed success in the League Cup and the Community Shield in Jose Mourinho’s first season in charge at Old Trafford with Champions League football secured after United could only manage a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.
“We preferred to reach the Champions League this way than finish fourth, third or second,” said Mourinho. “We got the objective, we are back in the Champions League by winning a title, an important title. The club now has every title in world football. We fought hard for this since the beginning.”
United, wearing all blue as they did in winning the 1968 European Cup final, made an imposing start, with Pogba whistling a shot wide of the near post within the first minute.
The France midfielder was all over the pitch, appearing as a third center back one moment to head the ball away from danger, channeling pinpoint passes to striker Marcus Rashford the next.
Pogba, who first came to United at the age of 16 before leaving for Juventus, put his side ahead with a hopeful low shot from the edge of the area that was sent looping past Onana in the Ajax goal thanks to a huge deflection from Davinson Sanchez.
Mourinho’s coaching staff flew out of the dugout in celebration but the Portuguese stayed calm.
Ajax, fielding the youngest starting lineup in a European final, was expected to make a quick start as it did in its 4-1 win over Olympique Lyonnais in its semifinal first leg.
Instead the Dutch side was fenced in by United, nullified by Marouane Fellaini and man of the match Ander Herrera in the middle and stretched by Rashford’s darting runs.
They were given no time to settle in the second half as Mkhitaryan leapt to knock Chris Smalling’s knockdown from a corner into the roof of the net after 48 minutes.
Ajax hogged the ball for the rest of the match but rarely looked like getting past United, who saw the game out to preserve Mourinho’s 100 percent record in European finals and deliver the continental trophy missing from their collection.
Rooney left out again by England boss Southgate
England’s record international goalscorer Wayne Rooney has been left out of Gareth Southgate’s squad for next month’s World Cup Group F qualifier away to Scotland and a friendly with France.
The 31-year-old forward, who has lost his place in Manchester United’s first team, was also left out by England earlier this year for matches against Germany and Lithuania.
Southgate named a 25-man squad which includes Tottenham Hotspur right back Kieran Trippier for the first time. — Reuters
