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Manchester United face Athletic Bilbao in their last pre-season game before competitive action begins.
Although a fringe side is expected to take the field against the Basque club, these two teams have plenty of history.
Bilbao are the team which ended Sir Alex’s European adventure in the 2011/12 season in a fixture that put Marcelo Bielsa from the “hipster fans” to the “mainstream” category.
It was also the game in which a baby-faced Ander Herrera ran rings around the United midfield, eventually prompting the club to chase his signature.
With the Bilbao game on the horizon, here’s a look at the 2011/12 tie which shook Manchester as plucky little Bilbao dominated the then-European giants in UEFA Europa League.
The buildup
Manchester United had underachieved massively in the Champions League, coming third in a comfortable group to find themselves being relegated to the Europa League.
In the Round-of-32 fixture, United were drawn against Ajax, the club which fans know, goes on to play a major role in United’s rebuilding a decade later.
United won 3-2 over two legs in a nervy affair to book a date with Athletic Bilbao, who were coming off a victory against Lokomotiv Moscow on away goals.
Clearly, the European giants Red Devils were overwhelming favourites for the Round-of-16 fixture.
First leg- A humbling
United played the first leg at Old Trafford, which was a bonafide fortress at the time.
Rooney scored in the 22nd minute and all was smooth sailing. Bilbao were to be just a step in United’s path to glory, just like many other teams before them.
However, Bielsa’s rabid players had other ideas.
United looked dazed as a fitter, younger, and hungrier side frantically pressed the players all over the pitch and made them uncomfortable.
They levelled the scoring with a Fernando Llorente goal in the 44th minute and dominated the proceedings thereafter. United weren’t given even a second to breathe as Bilbao came for their necks.
Sustained attacks gave way to a shock lead for Bilbao when Oscar de Marcos put them ahead in the 71st minute. As fans of Bielsa would know, he never considers his team as underdogs. La Liga side didn’t take the foot of the gas and a third goal came in the dying embers of the game courtesy of Iker Muniain.
Rooney kept United in the tie by converting a penalty in injury time but Bilbao had upset the odds successfully with a 2-3 win away from home.
Second leg- Defiant underdogs, no comebacks
Yes, United had lost the first leg, but surely the comeback kings would make amends in the second leg? Sir Alex’s side was famous for overcoming the odds regardless of the opposition or atmosphere. Therefore, despite the surprise home loss in the first leg, they were still the bookmakers’ favourite to progress.
Bielsa’s side had other ideas.
Bilbao picked up from right where they left off, this time feeding off the energy of the home crowd. Llorente made it two in two against United with a well-taken goal in the 23rd minute.
United didn’t know what hit them. The aggregate scoreline was now 4-2 but the worse was yet to come. De Marcos wasn’t to be left far behind Llorente, as he made it two in two as well.
A goal in the 65th minute put Bilbao 2-0 up on the night and 5-2 on aggregate. Sir Alex’s team were looking at an upset for the ages and it wasn’t just any smash-and-grab victory by the underdogs.
United were thoroughly outplayed by Bilbao and Rooney’s 80th-minute goal was nothing more than a consolation as the team bowed out of the Europa League after the 5-3 loss.
The fallout
The game would have far-reaching consequences for both sides. Bilbao went on a fairytale run to the final of the tournament, where they lost to Atletico Madrid.
Players like Javi Martinez, Iker Muniain, and Fernando Llorente made the mainstream and started attracting the interest of elite clubs.
Marcelo Bielsa’s legend grew stronger as the brilliant but erratic manager also managed to get the results this time.
United, on the other hand, were given a harsh reality check on the degrading quality of the squad which needed to be refreshed soon.
Sir Alex left after miraculously extracting one final title from the team after getting a marquee addition like Robin van Persie next year but the wounds were too big. Following managers would struggle with the same team.
Now, more than a decade on, Bilbao’s youth system is the envy of many clubs while United are finally in a proper rebuilding phase of their project. The friendly might not mean much competitively, but history shows this game is always special.
