MANCHESTER: Romelu Lukaku called on Manchester United to play with "arrogance and confidence" against Barcelona as they seek to overturn a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side face an uphill battle at the Camp Nou next week after Luke Shaw's own goal gave Barca a 1-0 win in Wednesday's match at Old Trafford.
United rallied after that early setback and unsettled Ernesto Valverde's side, giving Lukaku and his teammates confidence of a memorable turnaround in Spain next Tuesday.
"We have to believe and have the desire and more quality than today," said the Belgium striker. "Be better on the ball and then you never know what can happen in football.
"I don't think we played with the same arrogance and confidence on the ball (early on). Second half we tried and the first 20 minutes of the second half we were there.
"It's something we have to do for the whole 90 minutes over there and not concede a goal and score early."
That approach worked well at Paris Saint-Germain last month as United made Champions League history by becoming the first side to progress after losing the first leg at home by two or more goals.
The Parc des Princes triumph was the highlight of a topsy-turvy campaign for the Old Trafford giants, but even during the difficult Jose Mourinho era they managed to seal a last-gasp 2-1 comeback win at Juventus.
Asked if those two matches will play on Barcelona's mind, Lukaku said: "Yeah, but I don't think they will look at us. We have to look at ourselves, get a result and give our all, run as much as we can."
Wednesday saw United fail to muster a shot on target for the first time in a Champions League match since 2005, but there was some promising build-up play.
"Definitely (they are beatable)," Lukaku added. "On the day you can score from one chance and that's what they did today.
"There was a lack of concentration and they scored a goal and from that moment on we tried to control, but I think over there we have to do a better job and stay focused a bit more, we know they have players who make late runs.
"For us we have to go with the desire, be focused and when the chance comes, we have to score."
Romelu Lukaku calls for Manchester United ‘arrogance’ against Barcelona in second leg
Romelu Lukaku calls for Manchester United ‘arrogance’ against Barcelona in second leg
- Luke Shaw own goal gives Barcelona slight advantage going into second leg
- United rallied after that early setback and unsettled Ernesto Valverde's side
Dubai Basketball marks Ramadan opener with win and 3,055 eels donated to UAE Food Bank
- The ‘Basket for Basket’ initiative took place during the team’s 96-85 EuroLeague victory over LDLC ASVEL
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball won their EuroLeague round 29 game against LDLC ASVEL here on Thursday and celebrated by pledging 3,055 meals to families in need across the UAE.
The 96-85 win marked the club’s first game of Ramadan. Through the “Basket for Basket” initiative, every point scored by Dubai Basketball counted as a meal donated, with every ticket purchased adding to the total.
By the final buzzer, 3,055 meals had been secured in partnership with the UAE Food Bank to be distributed throughout the month of Ramadan.
Dubai Basketball Head Coach Jurica Golemac said after the game: “Thank you to the fans. It wasn’t an easy game to play, but we approached it with the right level of seriousness.
“We stayed disciplined, extended our lead step by step, defended well, and maintained our focus. I’m also very happy to say that during the holy month of Ramadan, we were able to donate more than 3,000 meals tonight.”
Co-CEO Dejan Kamenjasevic said: “To open this month with a win is special, but to do it while supporting thousands of families across the UAE is what truly matters.
“Basketball brought everyone together tonight, our players, our fans, our partners, together we created something meaningful.
“This is exactly what Dubai Basketball stands for: competing at the highest level, proudly representing this city while never losing sight of our responsibility to the community.”
The team delivered a strong collective performance at home. Mfiondu Kabengele set the tone early with a dominant scoring display, while Dwayne Bacon and McKinley Wright provided balance and control to secure the result.
