According to “Varzesh3,” Athletic Bilbao needed a historic comeback to eliminate Manchester United. A 3-0 defeat at San Mamés left them on the brink of elimination. Ernesto Valverde commented on the match: “The penalty and our player’s red card heavily influenced the game. Before that, we were the better team on the pitch and clearly attacking, though we didn’t score and conceded the first goal.

We protested a handball by Garnacho before the penalty was given… which I thought was much clearer. For us, the punishment was excessive, both because we fell behind 2-0 and because we had to play the entire match with 10 men, without Vivian.”

Maguire’s Assist for the First Goal: They were clinical, and we were unfocused in some moments. The result was a 3-0 loss. The truth is, this is a bitter result for us. Teams like this are ruthless and show full confidence in the final moments. We must learn from this experience.

Turning the Result Around: This is a very bad result, but we must play the return leg. We are not going to give up on anything, even knowing the team we are facing. When it was 11 vs. 11, if there was any difference, it was more in our favor than theirs. After the first goal, we couldn’t handle the pressure well.

One of the Toughest Nights in Coaching: I don’t feel that way right now. There have been matches where we played poorly, but with 11 men, I can say the team was good. The result is very bitter for us because we wanted to reach the final. The fact that the final is held at your stadium doesn’t give any advantage because you have to play against very strong teams.

Message to the Dressing Room and Fans: I love winning, but you have to accept that losing is also possible. When you’re in such a situation, you learn to accept what happened and try to improve it. Those who followed us saw a team that was competitive in 11 vs. 11 situations. Defeat is always hard, but at Old Trafford, we will try to turn the game in our favor.

Maguire’s Foul on Maroán: If you ask me, I’d say it was a red card, but I really don’t know. For us, it was a foul, but I don’t know if it was a red card or not.