Joshua Zirkzee netted his first European goal for Manchester United, but the Premier League side were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Sociedad in their Europa League last-16 first leg on Thursday. The result leaves the tie finely poised ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford on March 13.
Dutch forward Zirkzee broke the deadlock 12 minutes into the second half, finishing clinically with a low strike from the edge of the box that slipped past Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro.
The goal was a reward for United’s dominance, as they controlled possession and created several promising opportunities in San Sebastián. However, the hosts drew level through a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty in the 71st minute.
The spot-kick was awarded after a lengthy review by the video assistant referee (VAR), which penalised Bruno Fernandes for a handball inside the area. Oyarzabal made no mistake from 12 yards, sending Andre Onana the wrong way to restore parity.
Manchester United, who had been in control for much of the game, appeared unsettled by the equaliser. Goalkeeper Onana was called into action soon after, producing a superb save to deny Brais Mendez’s curling 25-yard effort.
In a tense finale, substitute Orri Oskarsson came close to snatching victory for the hosts, but Onana was alert again, making a crucial stop in added time.
Earlier in the match, United’s captain Bruno Fernandes was a constant threat, seeing his goal-bound strike cleared off the line by Aritz Elustondo in the first half.
Fernandes also narrowly missed with a free-kick that curled just wide of the post. Despite controlling the tempo for nearly an hour, the visitors were left frustrated by a combination of wasteful finishing and resilient defending from Real Sociedad.
Speaking after the game, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim expressed disappointment at not securing a win but remained optimistic about his team’s prospects.
“One thing that I am sure — they’re anxious to score goals and win games,” Amorim said. “They are doing their best and sometimes they want to do their best, but they’re not deciding the best way in their position.”
Real Sociedad’s late surge demonstrated their resilience and ability to trouble United’s defence. The Spanish side will now travel to Old Trafford with hopes of causing an upset and securing a place in the Europa League quarter-finals.
Manchester United, meanwhile, will look to build on their first-leg performance, aiming to capitalise on home advantage in the second leg. With the tie delicately balanced, both teams will need to be at their best to advance to the next round of the competition.