Rostov vs Manchester United as it happened: Jose Mourinho's men come away from Russia with draw
Relive United's 1-1 Europa League draw at the Olimp-2 Stadium
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United's Russian assignment proved as tough as expected, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan's strike on Rostov's quagmire pitch could prove crucial after the first instalment of this Europa League last-16 encounter ended in a credible draw.
As if a 3,750-mile round trip was not enough, United were greeted by a surface so poor that Jose Mourinho wanted UEFA to call the first leg off - a request that unsurprisingly fell on deaf ears.
The wretched Olimp-2 stadium surface made a difficult trip all the harder, with Aleksandr Bukharov cancelling out Mkhitaryan's first-half strike to leave the score at 1-1 ahead of next week's return leg at Old Trafford.
But Mourinho's frustration at being pegged back by Rostov - a side that have beaten Bayern Munich and Ajax at home this season - will likely be tempered by the relief of seemingly avoiding injuries on this pitch.
- Jose Mourinho readies his excuses as Manchester United prepare to play on Rostov's 'field-like' pitch
- Jose Mourinho's Manchester United selection plans left in tatters over the condition of Rostov's pitch
- Manchester United ban supporter for making offensive comments about disabled fans
- Jose Mourinho ready to shelve Manchester United's top four chase in favour of Europa League
- Paul Pogba needs room to grow, not constant criticism, at Manchester United
What time is kick-off?
The game takes place on Thursday, March 9, with kick off taking place at 6pm GMT.
Where can I watch it?
The game will be broadcast live on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 2 HD.
It’s a big game for…
Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian is expected to return from a hamstring injury on Thursday night having spent a number of weeks on the sideline. Should he feature, Mkhitaryan will be eager to hit the ground running in a bid to remind Mourinho what the side has been missing. Rostov will be no pushover though and the winger will need to have all his wits about him if he’s to stand any chance of impressing at the Olimp-2 Stadium.
Interesting fact…
Rostov supporters have organised a delivery of blankets for visiting United fans ahead of Thursday's match, according to state-owned Russian news channel Rossiya 24. The initiative, which is known as 'Gentle Fan', will see blankets handed out at the visitors' entrance to the ground, to ensure the fans will be warm enough. A touching gesture.
Player to watch…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic. A man as hardened and experienced as Ibrahimovic should be in his element on Thursday night. As the old saying goes: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Indeed, expect plenty of fight and bite from the big Swede as he attempts to lead United’s front-line in what will be punishing conditions.
Form guide…
Rostov: WDWDDL
Manchester United: DWWWWW
Odds…
Rostov to win: 4/1
Manchester United to win: 39/50
Draw: 12/5
18 mins: Rostov sub. Granat has been struggling since that collision with Mkhitaryan and is forced off. Terentjev replaces him.
20 mins: Chance Rostov! Well a half-chance really, but we'll take what we can get after a rather dull opening 20 minutes.
Rostov's forwards, Poloz and Bukharov exchange passes before the latter goes scampering clear down the left. From a wide position he shoots across the face of goal at Romero's far post, but Rojo deflects it out for a corner.
Romero comes authoritatively off his line at the set-piece and clears.
22 mins: First yellow. Mkhitaryan goes haring into Kudryashov, who is at least twice his size, and sends him sprawling. Bit harsh, really. Thought we were meant to be in Russia.
25 mins: It's getting a little bit tetchy out there. Just about every player is struggling with their first touch which is leading to a lot of meaty, 50/50 challenges.
Ibrahimovic is the latest player to go down howling. The ball is punted long to him, his touch is a little heavy and, as he goes to collect the ball, Gatcan comes out of nowhere and cuts directly across him. Yellow.
26 mins: From the free-kick United win a corner, from the corner United win a ... penalty?
No! Smalling goes down in the box, wrestling with Kudryashov, as the ball is flung into the Rostov penalty area but the referee, despite blowing his whistle around once every 15 seconds so far this evening, is unmoved. Would have been harsh, granted.
29 mins: There have been 11 fouls so far this evening. There has been 1 shot on target.
31 mins: Poloz attempts to drive the home side forward. He picks up the ball, sprints clear of Smalling and bangs a cross into the box, intended for the head of Kudryashov, advancing from his full-back position.
But he mis-times his run. The flag goes up. Only sixty minutes left.
33 mins: Blimey this is bad. United almost take the lead in farcical circumstances. Fellaini twice fails to beat his man on the edge of the box, twice gets lucky with the bounce, and then Mkhitaryan very nearly races onto his scuffed, rebounded effort.
But Medvedev is quick off his line and alert to the danger.
34 mins: To give you an idea of the lack of action: Manchester United are live-tweeting this game. Their commentary currently consists of 5 updates. Two of them are to note bookings.
Meanwhile, Paul Pogba ain't happy. The Frenchman took a stray arm to the face but was told to get up and stop being silly be the ref.