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Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou thinks Manchester United helped his side save their season by crashing out of the Europa League.
Ahead of the Europa League quarter-finals last month, Sevilla sat just above the relegation zone in La Liga and they made the decision to sack Jorge Sampaoli before appointing veteran Jose Luis Mendilibar as his successor.
Mendilibar, who has managed multiple teams in La Liga throughout his career, was brought in to save the team from relegation, but a draw was secured against United in the Europa League quarter-final first leg and his priorities shifted.
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United threw away a two-goal lead at Old Trafford to set the tone for the second leg in Spain, which Sevilla won 3-0.
Sevilla goalkeeper Bounou has seen that result as the turning point for his side’s season as they are now mid-table in La Liga and have a chance to make the Europa League final when they face Juventus on Thursday night .
“Everything changed in the second half of the first leg against Manchester United, because when we played against them we were focused on our position in La Liga,” Bounou told UEFA.
“The first goal was to win more games in the league and stay away from relegation. In the beginning we played a normal game against Manchester United. In the second half, however, we saw that we could score goals because their level was falling.
“When we scored the first goal, we realized we could score the second goal. So we woke up. And the fans got right behind us when we finished the second leg at home. That’s when we realized we had a real go in this match.”
United were favorites to win the Europa League at the start of the season.
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