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
64 mins: Half-hearted shouts for a penalty. Rostov are on the front-foot and Erokhin slaloms his way into the box but is well tackled by Smalling, who comes across him and whips the ball of his toes for a corner. Perfectly timed.
Pogba is having another quiet night. Just 46 touches of the ball, not a single key pass and not a single shot on goal so far.
66 mins: Huge chance for Erokhin! This time he gets beyond the United defence to go one on one with Romero but he inexplicably attempts to toe-poke the pall past the keeper, rather than hitting it with his in-step. It balloons over.
68 mins: This has become entertainingly end to end all of a sudden!
After surviving that Erokhin opportunity, United race down the other end of a pitch and win a corner. Blind swings it in, Fellaini gets up well to meet it, but directs his header straight into the arms of Medvadev.
Then, Kalachev punts it downfield for Rostov, and Navas gets on the end of it only to shank a volley high above Romero's crossbar.
69 mins: Mourinho has decided he doesn't want to risk Mkhitaryan any longer. The Armenian is withdrawn in favour of Anthony Martial.
70 mins: Mkhitaryan was impressive tonight.
He'll be so important to United over the next three matches, with Ibrahimovic suspended for elbowing Tyrone Mings.
73 mins: Rostov finally bring on their secret weapon: Sardar Azmoun, or the 'Iranian Lionel Messi' as the commentator refers to him. Genuinely. He replaces the goal-scorer, Bukharov.
76 mins: Martial wins a free-kick in a promising area for United, but Rostov's defence repel Blind's outswinging cross.
78 mins: Herrera goes into the book for following through after tackling Poz.
80 mins: A worrying sight for Manchester United.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is involved in a tangle with Navas and falls heavily to the floor, clutching his leg. He takes a while to get up, but eventually gets gingerly back to his feet.
United can ill afford the Swede to pick up a serious injury...