Manchester United’s start to the season came as a bucket of cold water for fans, as despite what was spent in the summer, the team has only been getting worse.
There’s obviously a lot to happen in the Premier League and Champions League campaigns yet, but, unless things change, there aren’t many reasons to get excited about what’s to come.
Now what can be guaranteed is that every Manchester United fan who watched the Copa Libertadores semi-final last night had more entertainment, in a positive sense, than Erik ten Hag’s side has been offering lately.
As Boca Juniors went to Brazil to face Palmeiras in the second leg, following a 0-0 draw in La Bombonera, they had the likes of Sergio Romero, Marcos Rojo and Edinson Cavani on the pitch.
Those former Manchester United players were supposed to have the necessary experience to secure such a tough qualification for the final, and that’s what happened…eventually.
It’s best to start this story with Cavani, who had scored just one goal in his first ten games for Boca Juniors. That happened in a cup game against Platense which meant nearly nothing.
This was his moment to shine, though, as he opened the scoring against Palmeiras in the 23th minute, making it clear everyone was about to see a great semi-final.
The defender was booked in the 51th minute for a high tackle which hit Rony’s face. Five minutes later, with a completely unnecessary slide tackle out of the box, he got sent off.
The match went into pure drama, with Palmeiras equalising with a long shot which was supposed to be easily saved by Sergio Romero.
Despite Palmeiras’ huge pressure, the match went to penalties, which was the best outcome for any neutral supporter watching.
The first to take a penalty was Cavani, who missed it, and made it look like the three former Manchester United players could be the big villains of Boca Juniors’ elimination.
Sergio Romero stepped up, though, saving the first two penalties that Palmeiras took. That was enough to lead Boca Juniors to the win and get the qualification for the final.
Marco Rojo is now suspended, and regrets it. “My sending off was irresponsible. What hurts the most is that I’m going to miss the final,” he said.
Romero, on the other hand, said it was the most thrilling day of his career. And Cavani prepares to be potentially decisive in the biggest title he’s ever won, as they’ll be facing Fluminense at the Maracanã Stadium on the 4th of November.
