Maguire's magic moment and Bilbao's struggle with the red card

Dani Vivian (3rd from left) complains vehemently to referee Espen Eskas after his sending off. Picture alliance / empics

Athletic Bilbao's mission to lay a solid foundation for a place in the Europa League final at home actually got off to a very good start in the first leg. The Basques initially appeared to be the better team, putting Man United under pressure and creating several good chances. However, the only flaw in this phase—the inefficient use of opportunities—would have bitter consequences in the first half.

After half an hour, Manchester suddenly took the lead. And this was thanks to a player who, up to that point, had been known for many things, but not creativity with the ball. "I suddenly found myself on the right flank of attack after 'Garno' (Garnacho; editor's note ) passed the ball to me," Harry Maguire explained his magic moment before his team's 1-0 lead to TNT Sports . "It was fun to dribble a bit and then deliver a great cross. We had a lot of players in the box, and they obviously had confidence in me to deliver the ball well. It was a good feeling – and a great header at the end," said the defender, who jokingly remarked on social media: "I'm sure there will be a few nicknames for me by now."

"There are moments like that in life. And Harry has had difficult moments too. But right now, everything he does is good for the team. So he has to enjoy it.

In fact, Maguire had outwitted opponent Mikel Jauregizar with two surprising hooks and then, almost from the byline, delivered a perfectly placed cross into the center to Manuel Ugarte , who cleverly headed the ball to the far post, where Casemiro coolly slotted home. Ruben Amorim was also in a somewhat playful mood, given Maguire's unexpected offensive abilities. "He's a good winger," said the Man United coach with a grin. "There are moments like that in life. And Harry has had difficult moments too. But right now, everything he's doing is good for the team. So he has to enjoy it."

The manner of his assist may have come as a surprise, but Maguire's offensive contributions are not these days. In the dramatic semi-final win against Olympique Lyon after extra time , it was none other than Maguire who headed the Red Devils through in extra time.

Bilbao's first goal was certainly bearable. What happened next, however, left the Spanish side with a huge setback. Dani Vivian made a brief but persistent save on Rasmus Höjlund 's shoulder in the penalty area after a cross – and after VAR and video review, not only was Manchester City awarded a penalty, but Vivian was also shown a red card. And after that, nothing in the game was the same again.

"We protested because of Alejandro Garnacho 's handball during the buildup. I think he handled the ball," said Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde . "The referee awarded a penalty and a red card. I felt that was too harsh a punishment. Of course, the red card influenced the game. When we played eleven against eleven, we were better than Manchester United," Valverde noted, not entirely unreasonably – even though the Red Devils clearly dominated the match after the double strike and the aforementioned incident, subsequently securing a commanding victory thanks to Maguire's initiative and ice-cold finishing.