It is impossible to ignore the change in mood, the supporters chanting the name of the charismatic coach of their Portuguese head, parachuted to solve myriad problems, but especially the miserable results and the cracks of the defense. Deciding to immerse himself in the local culture, he and the staff had their Christmas dinner at a public place a few miles outside of town. Then there is friction between those who invest their money and those who spend it on the bank. It was an unhappy picture for some time, the players, of course, thinking of a suitable escape. Ruben Amorim’s problem is that Vítor Pereira was the manager who triumphed here.
For Juventusalready four defeats five years ago. United, who drops to 14th place, are eight points above the relegation zone, 11 from the top four, which is badly missing, having received seven possible points of 21 from which Amorim replaces Eric Hag ten. Matthew Cunha – where would the wolf be without him? – Scored the first goal, directed from a corner, and doubled the ball eight minutes into stoppage time, allowing substitute Hwang Hee-chan to score a simple goal. For Pereira, a bad start, they have won two out of two and have faced the worst defense in the division. At the moment At the same time, the gutless United States never looked like scoring.
If the first half descends more broadly into the period of nothingness in the dense fog, the second was the polar opposite. He was only 85 seconds old when Bruno Fernandes was penalized for a poor challenge on his Portugal teammate Nelson Semedo, catching Wolves on the top of his ankle, and the referee, Tony Harrington, was quick to draw a second yellow card. Fernandes had been advised in the first half to play Cunha, the best – and most talented – player on the pitch, an extraordinarily capable forward. Show A moment here, 15 minutes into this match, when José Sá’s lobbed awkwardly controlled a pass to the left side with an exquisite back heel, and then played a one-two with the typically tigerish João Gomes, Noussair Mazraoui in a. a raw takedown to stop progress.
Barely a moment later Fernandes removed the captain’s arm from his bicep and headed off the pitch, Jørgen Strand Larsen headed in Semedo’s cross, but the goal was disallowed. Then came the long-time assistant referee, who was deemed offside by the Norwegian striker.
Cunha wanted to enjoy himself despite the extra attention and when his corner was caught by André Onana, Matt Doherty, flying into the fog, the Brazilian’s wicked ball dangled under the crossbar and curled in at the far post. Onana’s referee hoped for bail for him, but the very statement spoke volumes about the lackluster performance of the United States. At the end the sight of Harry Maguire trying to take a long ball of hope in the box had echoes of the recent past.
United’s rhythm was disappointed from the moment Leny Yoro, promoted to the starting line to make his second league start for the club, was spoiled by Cunha’s cut off in four minutes. Yoro was taken away from them just after an hour, just like Amorim, he made a triple change; with Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Antonio introduced. Then Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee. Marcus Rashford? The fourth consecutive match was not included.
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