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Manchester United beat Real Betis in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16 by a goal to nil.
The goal came through Marcus Rashford who smashed the ball into the back of the net from outside the Betis box to send his side through to the quarter-finals of the competition.
United had 54% of the ball compared to Betis’s 46% share of possession.
The Red Devils registered 17 shots, with only four being on target. In comparison, Manuel Pellegrini’s men had 15 shots with only two requiring David de Gea to speedily intervene.
United made 496 passes with a success rate of 82%.
Betis made 78 fewer passes with an accuracy of 77%.
One of United’s outstanding performers on a night when others were just steady was Casemiro.
Casemiro had 106 touches of the ball in what was an all-round and comprehensive showing from him.
He completed 100% of the dribbles he attempted and won an astonishing nine ground duels.
The Brazilian completed seven of the long balls he tried to ping to his teammates.
From an attacking point-of-view, Casemiro contributed with four key passes in a game where United were not at their best going forward.
The 31-year-old won four of the tackles he delved into and made two crucial blocks to help the team keep a clean sheet at Real Betis’s ground.
Casemiro also won two of his duels in the air and made two important interceptions from his deep-lying position in the middle of the park.
The player made one clearance and capped off his stellar display with an assist for Rashford’s goal.
Casemiro’s game by numbers vs. Real Betis:
106 touches
100% dribbles completed
9 ground duels won
7 long balls completed
4 key passes
4 tackles won
2 blocks
2 aerial duels won
2 interceptions
1 clearance
1 assist
0 foulsMustard. 💎 pic.twitter.com/m8NsONL6vp
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 16, 2023
More importantly, Casemiro committed no fouls, which helped to ensure he will not be suspended during the quarter-finals. Casemiro’s performance proves why his domestic suspension will be a big miss for the team and Ten Hag.
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