Manchester United staged a comeback to secure a 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen on Thursday in the final round of the Europa League group stage.
Matej Vydra gave Viktoria Plzen the lead in the 48th minute, but Rasmus Hojlund quickly turned the tide, scoring twice in the 62nd and 88th minutes.
As a result, Manchester United climbed to fifth place in the standings with 12 points, while Plzen remained stuck at 9 points, sitting in 15th place.
The home team made the first threat with a header from Fazulin, who met a cross from a set piece, but his effort drifted wide of Andre Onana’s goal.
Mazraoui then squandered possession just outside the United penalty area, allowing the Czech side to launch a counterattack in an attempt to capitalize on the mistake.
The counterattack was ultimately stopped by Cerv, whose shot sailed wide of the goal. Manchester United quickly responded with a counter of their own, but Diallo’s attempt ended with a shot that missed the target.
From a set piece, Fernandes delivered a cross into the Plzen penalty area, where Zirkzee rose to meet it, but his header went wide.
Plzen’s goalkeeper, Martin Jedlicka, denied Bruno Fernandes a goal with a strong save, blocking a shot from outside the box.
Plzen squandered two consecutive opportunities when Doue’s header and Souare’s shot inside the penalty area both failed to hit the mark.
Onana made another crucial save just before halftime, denying Vydra’s shot from outside the box to keep the score level at 0-0.
Three minutes into the second half, Plzen stunned their visitors with a goal. Vydra connected with a low cross, redirecting it into the net with a close-range touch.
In response, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim made an attacking change, bringing on striker Hojlund in place of Rashford to inject fresh energy into the team’s offense.
Hojlund immediately posed a threat, firing a shot from inside the penalty area that was saved by Plzen’s goalkeeper. However, the Danish forward continued to press, and eventually found the equalizer, meeting a cross with a direct touch to level the score.
The two teams traded attacks, with Casemiro nearly giving United the lead with a header from a Fernandes corner, but it went just wide of the left post.
Hojlund came close to scoring again for United with a shot from a tight angle, but it sailed wide of the target.
Substitute Anthony took a shot from outside the area, which flew over Plzen’s goal, before the home goalkeeper saved a follow-up attempt from Mount.
In the dying moments of regular time, Hojlund received a pass from Fernandes inside the penalty area, laid it off perfectly, and then fired a left-footed shot into the net to give United the lead.
United nearly added a third in a swift counterattack, but Jedlicka made a crucial save to deny Garnacho’s effort from finding the back of the net.
