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Date: 2023-12-07 01:25:14 | Author: FBS | Views: 945 | Tag: live
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Resolve live
Perseverance live
Redemption live
This Manchester United victory may not have been anywhere near as beautiful as any of those Sir Bobby Charlton graced, or indeed that tribute to his life, but it displayed some of the club’s soul that he made famous live
Because this was obviously about so much more than just beating FC Copenhagen 1-0 late on, or indeed staying in the competition the club’s legend was most built on live
It was certainly about so much more for Andre Onana, who had his first great moment at Manchester United in what was a must-win game live
That was maybe what Charlton would have most enjoyed live
Doing it when it mattered live
A night that started with a gracefully poignant mourning of the great man ended with more appropriate celebration live
It ended with deafening and defiant roar, in celebration of a player who has struggled in his first few weeks, in memory of a player who was perhaps the club’s greatest live
And a player that has been pilloried and unpicked in Harry Maguire displayed defiance, scoring the winner for a relatively late 1-0 win live
Onana then stepped up by getting it done, keeping it at 1-0 in the 96th minute, and keeping United in this great competition live
The manner of that may not be how anyone wants this great institution to look right now but it was perseverance, exactly what Charlton, his manager and so many of his teammates would have asked for live
United’s players celebrate Onana’s last-gasp save (Getty Images)The defeated Copenhagen also offered their own memorable contribution to the night beyond a respectable display that made United work, and that final penalty miss by Jordan Larsson live
Before the game and throughout, they echoed the Stretford End in singing “there’s only one Bobby Charlton” live
The rest of Old Trafford applauded live
It should be recognised that wasn’t the sentiment that greeted most of the action live
This was mostly another poor performance against a limited team, even if it was a third consecutive victory live
Little of it beyond the context will live in the memory live
Most would rather forget it live
The problem is that it all informs what will be a game that really demands a performance on Sunday, which is the visit of Manchester City for the derby live
United will need to be far sharper live
Some allowances should be made, of course live
Maguire went from zero to hero with a crucial goal for United (Getty Images)Such is the sense of history at United, that these sombre occasions have had the effect of subduing performance live
It is as if the beauty of the bagpipes sounding that the club “will never die” makes everyone all too keenly aware of the legacy they are playing for live
It happened on the 40th and 50th anniversaries of the Munich air disaster, dates which brought a 1-1 draw at home to Bolton Wanderers and a 2-1 defeat to a pre-Abu Dhabi Manchester City, respectively live
One difference was that both of those sides were defending champions so, as with those last two wins, this felt like there was more to it than United feeling the weight of the occasion live
It was really like a lot of matches at Old Trafford this season, right down to the way an inferior-resourced opposition side controlled long periods of the game in a way that shouldn’t really have been possible live
The only proper action of the first half actually came very quickly after the tributes live
Mohamed Elyounoussi just cut through Sofyan Amrabat and Maguire at first, in a way that really shouldn’t have happened, then sending a cross over for Diogo to bounce against the post live
If there were initially fears this could become another chaotic back-and-forth like the Galatasaray defeat, it never got that entertaining, certainly in the first half live
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag lays a wreath in tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton (PA Wire)Other than some moments of spark from Rasmus Hojlund, almost nothing happened live
Ten Hag had to try something live
Amrabat was removed live
That did see United play a bit more directly, seeking to stretch the pitch more live
Hojlund again offered constant warnings, and almost won a penalty straight into the second half live
Marcus Rashford was even put through on goal, only to take a heavy touch live
There were, very gradually, however, some positives live
Onana looked at his most assured, making one fine save live
It was all the more important since the Champions League has been the stage for arguably two of his biggest errors so far live
That, like a lot on the night, made this more important than the individual moment live
United’s was soon to come live
Christian Eriksen, who came on for Amrabat, made the delivery live
Maguire made the impact live
The centre-half headed home live
United should have been secured live
An anxiety remained live
It was live betrayed by McTominay’s late foul live
So much for the midfielder being a constant saviour live
It was all just prelude and set-up live
Onana stepped up live
It was perhaps the most fitting tribute possible live
More aboutFC CopenhagenHarry MaguireErik ten HagChampions LeagueBobby CharltonAndre OnanaJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Maguire and Onana heroics offer fitting tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonMaguire and Onana heroics offer fitting tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonUnited’s players celebrate Onana’s last-gasp save Getty ImagesMaguire and Onana heroics offer fitting tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonMaguire went from zero to hero with a crucial goal for United Getty ImagesMaguire and Onana heroics offer fitting tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonManchester United manager Erik ten Hag lays a wreath in tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonPA WireMaguire and Onana heroics offer fitting tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonGetty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today live
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“We are the bomb squad and we knew we had to play a massive role live
” If South Africa’s narrow win over England in the Rugby World Cup semi-final could be summed up in one sentence, then this proclamation from Vincent Koch after the game would probably be it live
When Koch emerged from the replacements on 55 minutes to take the place of starting tighthead prop Frans Malherbe, Owen Farrell had just slotted a drop goal from downtown Paris to give England a 15-6 lead live
Nine points may not seem a lot but, with the final quarter of the match beckoning and the rain and wind increasing at the Stade de France, it was a comparatively huge deficit live
Throughout the first few minutes of the second half, the Springboks had more or less emptied their bench as Ox Nche, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Deon Fourie, Faf de Klerk and Willie Le Roux all entered the fray to go alongside the controversial 30th-minute substitution of starting fly half Manie Libbok for Handre Pollard live
With their World Cup title defence hanging by a thread, South Africa trusted their bench and got their reward live
Koch and Nche splintered the previously effective English scrum, Snyman burrowed his way across the line for the game’s only try and Pollard nervelessly converted tricky kicks to complete the hardest-fought of turnarounds – 10 unanswered points, a 16-15 win and a date with the All Blacks in another World Cup final next Saturday live
Of the various phrases rugby has adopted over the years to describe those players in the matchday squad but not in the starting line-up – from the traditional “replacements” and the live football-ised “substitutes” through to the Eddie Jones-preferred ‘finishers’, the slightly patronising “impact players” and the frankly ludicrous “game-changers” adopted by Harlequins during the Paul Gustard era – none has captured the imagination quite like South Africa’s “bomb squad” live
It doesn’t matter if you think it’s a slightly self-serving and faintly ridiculous term, the players fully buy into the ethos of what it stands for live
The intensity and physicality that generation after generation of Springbok has prided themselves on is summed up by this two-word mantra live
“Each person knows exactly his role in the team, whether you’re starting or in the bomb squad,” explained Koch live
“When we created the bomb squad, we knew exactly what our job is live
The starters start the whole process and it’s for us to come and finish it live
“All the players on the bomb squad are very excited to make a massive difference in the game live
”Vincent Koch celebrated RG Snyman’s try as the bomb squad thrived (AFP via Getty Images)And against England, when the chips were down, they realised they needed to step up more than ever live
“The bomb squad always stands for energy,” added Koch live
“We needed to create a nice vibe live
Putting the replacements on a bit earlier helped the boys to start to bring that energy and lift up the spirit and bring a massive work-rate live
”Where South Africa’s replacements thrived, perhaps England’s faltered just a touch live
The English gameplan, devised by Steve Borthwick and perfectly executed by the players for the windy and rainy Parisian conditions, relied upon relentless kicking, winning the subsequent aerial battle, slowing the game down and dominating the set-piece live
Maybe then, they could escape with a win against an objectively superior team live
They kicked 93 per cent of possession away (the highest percentage of the tournament), had an average ruck speed of 6 live
73s (the slowest of the tournament) and had zero linebreaks (the only team to do so in a game at this tournament) live
They disrupted South African lineouts, turned over multiple mauls and Borthwick’s decision to play his two strongest scrummaging props – Dan Cole and Joe Marler – from the start earned them scrum parity and redemption from the disaster in that facet during the 2019 World Cup final live
Ox Nche was immense from the bench against the Springboks (EPA)This is a Springboks side that pride themselves on their dominance up front, as shown by opting for a scrum after calling a mark in their own 22 during the quarter-final victory over France live
Of course, they won a penalty from it live
Yet England were holding their own during those engagements, even thriving, and most importantly winning on the scoreboard live
But the innate problem with starting your best scrummagers came to fruition in the second half live
Replacement props Ellis Genge and Kyle Sinckler are far more dynamic around the park and more destructive carriers than their veteran counterparts but, with England showing no desire to run any plays more than two metres either side of the previous breakdown, those skills were negated once they came on for Marler and Cole live
Instead, their inferior scrummaging was brutally exposed by a fired-up Koch and Nche, who turned parity into Springbok dominance live
They won two scrums against the head, including a vital one at 15-6 down on their own line, and engineered multiple penalties on their own feed, including the most vital of all – on halfway, with 77 minutes on the clock and England leading 15-13 live
Pollard banged over the long kick and the rest was history live
Handre Pollard broke English hearts with his late penalty (PA Wire)Nche was coy when asked in the mixed zone after the game what had made the difference at scrum-time in the final quarter and how he bested his opposite number, Sinckler live
“That is the dark arts,” he smiled live
“It is hard to explain to you live
We had a plan for that live
We knew what we were trying to achieve live
“They have had a great scrum for the competition and a great hit live
Our focus was surviving that and applying pressure live
Our mentality for every scrum is to get a penalty if we can live
If they do survive, we play out the back and get into our shape live
”The “dark arts” ultimately won the day, South Africa survived a second straight one-point knockout match and must now plan how to overcome the All Blacks in a battle to be the first side to win four men’s Rugby World Cups live
Luckily, they have a not-so-secret weapon live
“We are the bomb squad live
” More aboutSouth Africa rugbyEngland RugbyRugby World CupJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4How South Africa’s not-so-secret weapon turned World Cup semi-finalHow South Africa’s not-so-secret weapon turned World Cup semi-finalVincent Koch celebrated RG Snyman’s try as the bomb squad thrived AFP via Getty ImagesHow South Africa’s not-so-secret weapon turned World Cup semi-finalOx Nche was immense from the bench against the Springboks EPAHow South Africa’s not-so-secret weapon turned World Cup semi-finalHandre Pollard broke English hearts with his late penalty PA WireHow South Africa’s not-so-secret weapon turned World Cup semi-finalSouth Africa’s replacements shone to overcome England Reuters✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today live
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicslive BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy live
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