The Uruguayan frontman scored both of the Red Devils’ goals at Stadio Olimpico as they progressed to the final of Europe’s second tier competition
Edinson Cavani made Europa League history after netting his second brace against Roma in the space of a week to help Manchester United win their semi-final tie.
United booked their place in the final despite losing 3-2 at Stadio Olimpico on Thursday night, having won the first leg 6-2 at Old Trafford last week.
Cavani scored twice in Manchester and doubled his account against the Italian giants at Stadio Olimpico, equalling a 34-year-old continental record in the process.
Cavani’s semi-final heroics
Cavani is the first player to score two or more goals in both legs of a European semi-final since Klaus Allofs for Koln back in the 1985-86 UEFA Cup against KSV Waregem.
The 34-year-old has also now hit 16 goals in his last 15 Europa League outings, including 15 in his last 10 as a starter in the competition.
Make that 16! 👏
🎇 @ECavaniOfficial #UEL https://t.co/zbk3kAdFSO pic.twitter.com/0Xers3PoR8
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 6, 2021
United book their ticket to Gdansk
The Red Devils can now look forward to a final meeting with Villarreal at the Stadion Miejski in Gdansk, Poland on May 26, where they will be bidding to lift their first major trophy since 2017.
Cavani gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side the lead in Rome with a trademark finish shortly before half-time, but the hosts hit back via a close-range Edin Dzeko finish just before the hour mark.
A stunning Bryan Cristante effort put Roma in the lead moments later, with Cavani then popping up to head in his second from a Bruno Fernandes cross to level the scores once again.
The Serie A giants had the final say when Nicola Zalewski scored with the help of an Alex Telles deflection, but United ultimately progressed 8-5 on aggregate to set a new mark for the highest-scoring Europa league semi-final of all-time.
The Manchester outfit are also now only the second team in the competition’s history to hit eight or more goals across two legs of a last-four tie, with Alaves the last club to achieve that feat when they hit nine against Kaiserslautern in 2000-01.
What’s next?
The Red Devils will now start preparing for a Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Sunday, which comes just two days before Leicester City are due to arrive at Old Trafford as the race for second place starts to heat up.
Be the first to comment