Manchester United beat Ajax 2-0 on emotional night in Stockholm
STOCKHOLM: A guttural roar of “Manchester, Manchester” thundered around the Friends Arena at the full-time whistle.
Purely in soccer terms, Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Ajax in the Europa League final on Wednesday was a triumph of huge significance for England’s biggest club.
On a wider level, it was also a moment to cheer for the team’s home city, grieving two thousand kilometres away.
Manchester was plunged into tragedy on Monday when 22 people were killed by a bomb attack at an Ariana Grande concert in the city center.
United’s players were clearly moved by the events and flew to Sweden with heavy hearts, vowing to deliver a display in their biggest match of the season that would serve as a tribute to the victims and their families.
That they succeeded in doing so was a testament to their strength of character. It made this victory, in a largely forgettable match, one to remember.
“Yesterday morning, we were devastated,” said United midfielder Ander Herrera, dedicating the win to the victims.
“But the manager told us the only thing we could do was to win this for them. That’s what we’ve done.”
Paul Pogba scored off a deflected shot in the 18th minute the France midfielder pointed to the sky during his celebrations and Henrikh Mkhitaryan added a second goal in the 48th by deftly hooking home a close-range effort from a corner.
In tough circumstances, United handled the occasion better than an Ajax side featuring six players aged 21 or under and playing in the famous Dutch club’s first European final in 21 years.
“I haven’t seen the Ajax that I am used to,” Ajax coach Peter Bosz said.
“They are not used to play a final. It was all new for them.”
For United coach Jose Mourinho, it was obvious that the victory was a huge weight off his shoulders, because of both the emotions of the last few days and the importance of the match.