Amad Diallo ends Manchester United’s European drought by seeing off Paok

Get ready for a surprise: Manchester United has triumphed in Europe after facing three straight draws in the Europa League and going winless in their last three matches in the previous season's Champions League.

After a prolonged drought of 380 days, Manchester United finally secured a victory with a 1-0 win against FC Copenhagen at Old Trafford, thanks to Amad Diallo. His outstanding performance on the wing led to a brilliant double. He scored his first goal with a smart header just after the 50-minute mark. His second goal was a show of determination; he outplayed Abdul Baba on the right, resisted the defender’s attempts to push him off the ball, and then unleashed a shot into the left corner, which took a slight deflection on its way.

According to Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is currently serving as interim manager for United, the second goal embodied everything that makes Amad Diallo special. He worked hard to win the ball from the Paok defender, pressed on to take the shot, and demonstrated the skill to bend it past the goalkeeper.

However, before that point, United struggled to finish off PAOK well ahead of time, meaning they couldn't comfortably maintain control of the game. Rúben Amorim is likely aware of this, but the new manager of United, if he’s observing, will fully grasp the significant challenge ahead in transforming the team he will take charge of on Monday.

This season, United had mixed results in their continental matches, drawing 1-1 with Twente, 3-3 at Porto, and again 1-1 at Fenerbahce. These results aren't very impressive. When Van Nistelrooy substituted Lisandro Martínez and Matthijs de Ligt with Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelöf in central defense, and replaced Marcus Rashford with Diallo in the attack, it raised questions about whether the team would finally secure a win.

In the first half, it seemed otherwise. Razvan Lucescu set up his Greek champions in a 4-2-3-1 formation, mirroring Van Nistelrooy’s tactics. Mady Camara, the No. 10 for the visiting team, took advantage of a recurring weakness by breaking into an open space, making a pass, receiving the ball again as the play developed, and then taking a shot.

Camara played a role for Paok similar to that of Bruno Fernandes at United: he was a skilled playmaker who excelled at finding space and leading his team. United's captain showcased this by positioning himself at the left side of Paok's box, where he delivered a pass to Diallo, but the latter's cross was blocked. Following that, there was an adventurous phase of play that brought back memories of the classic Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Diallo maneuvered through the midfield and passed the ball to Noussair Mazraoui, who then played it back into open space on the right side. This allowed Casemiro to make a run and deliver a quick pass to the far post, where Alejandro Garnacho headed the ball, striking Jonny's arm. However, referee Radu Petrescu ruled it a corner kick instead of a penalty. The referee and VAR came to the same conclusion again when Diallo fell after being challenged by Baba.

Diallo was a standout player for United. His next move was to knock the ball down to Rasmus Højlund, but the striker’s header lacked power as he twisted to connect with it. With a possession rate of 65%, it was clear that the home side was in control. However, they continued to struggle with their finishing in the attacking zone. Earlier, Garnacho had made a simple pass go awry to a teammate making an overlapping run in Paok's box. Now, after another impressive run down the inside-left channel, he made a similar mistake, and this time it was Diogo Dalot who couldn’t capitalize.

Paok patiently waited for any careless mistakes from United. For instance, when the less sturdy Manuel Ugarte was overpowered near the halfway line, Andrija Zivkovic seized the opportunity to take a powerful shot from 20 yards out that was easily caught by André Onana.

This was a warning sign that United could face trouble if they didn’t fix their wastefulness. Diallo nearly made an impact when he went all out for a cross from Garnacho. Unfortunately, he ended up in the net instead of making contact with the ball, and Baba managed to clear it away.

As they approached halftime, United was almost trailing, having narrowly avoided a goal thanks to a powerful shot that grazed Onana's fingertips before going over the crossbar. The first half was a disappointing display for United, marked by a lack of firepower. This theme of struggling to score has defined their season so far. Van Nistelrooy, known for his sharp scoring instinct during his playing days, had to address this issue when his team retreated for a break.

The pattern continued, but this time Garnacho found Dalot making a run. However, Dalot couldn’t connect with Fernandes as he entered Paok's box. Fernandes demonstrated his skill shortly after, showing the defender how to be effective. Moving down the left, Garnacho looked up and passed to his captain, who delivered a perfectly placed chip. This set up the talented Diallo, who jumped and directed a header back across the goal, leaving the visiting goalkeeper, Dominik Kotarski, caught off guard.

Fernandes was at the center of United's play. He set up Diallo again with a beautifully arcing pass; however, the forward's shot was saved. United was creating a feast of scoring opportunities, but many were missed. Dalot shot high, Fernandes followed suit, and in the midst of this, Garnacho fell in the penalty box after being challenged by Tomasz Kedziora and Jonny. Once again, Petrescu's decision to not award a penalty seemed questionable.

Tarik Tissoudali almost put United in trouble when he got close to scoring, but he lost his composure and fired a shot right at Onana, who easily caught it. Shortly after Diallo scored his second goal, he injured his leg and had to come off, even though he seemed okay. United will be hoping for the best as they prepare for Leicester’s visit on Sunday.