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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United secured a 4-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar in what was another Jekyll-and-Hyde contest for the home side. With this victory at Old Trafford, United not only secured 13 points but also qualified for the Europa League 2019-20 knock-out stages as table toppers.
United started the game cautiously what helped their opponent keep a hold on the ball and produce attacks after attacks throughout the first half of the match. However, nothing changed to the scoreline as AZ didn't have that much-needed sparkle in their final third. The first half ended up with a 0-0 scoreline as there was nothing exciting to talk about.
In the second half, United came up strong as they managed to score four goals in the span of 12 minutes of football. A well-deserved brace for the youngster Mason Greenwood, a brilliant goal from club captain Ashley Young and a smartly-taken penalty by Juan Mata saw their side grabbing a 4-0 victory against the tricky Dutch side.
What did Ole say after the convincing win?
Following United's impressive triumph, boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in the post-match interview, discussed how much important the game was for them.
“It was vital for us. It means we can have the second leg at home and we will play against a lower seeded team.”
Who could face Manchester United in the next round?
In order to avoid a troublesome draw, the game against AZ Alkmaar was a must-win match for Ole's men. And with a win, United qualified for the Round of 32 as the group L leaders. Right after the end of the matchday 6, UEFA revealed two categories of teams - Seeded teams and Unseeded Teams.
Seeded Teams (Teams dropped out of the Champions League with high points and Europa League group leaders): Ajax, Arsenal, Basel, Benfica, Braga, Celtic, Espanyol, Gent, Internazionale Milano, İstanbul Başakşehir, LASK, Malmö, Manchester United, Porto, Salzburg, Sevilla.
Unseeded Teams (Teams dropped out of the Champions League with low points and Europa League 2nd-place achievers): APOEL, AZ Alkmaar, Bayer Leverkusen, CFR Cluj, Club Brugge, Copenhagen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Getafe, Ludogorets, Olympiacos, Rangers, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting CP, Wolfsburg, Wolves.
Accordingly, seeded teams will be drawn along with unseeded teams. The teams who could face the Manchester side in the first knock-out stage of the Europa League are as follows:
APOEL, Copenhagen, Getafe, Sporting Lisbon, Cluj, Eintracht Frankfurt, Rangers, Ludogorets, Wolfsburg, AS Roma, Club Brugge, Olympiacos, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayer Leverkusen.
Although Wolverhampton Wanderers and AZ Alkmaar are amongst the unseeded teams, they will not be drawn alongside United as the former belongs to their own national association whereas the latter was in the same group as United.
When will the draw be held?
The draw for Round of 16 will take place on Monday in Switzerland at 13:00 GMT or 18:30 IST.
