Man Utd had no crowd or hostile atmosphere to deal with – this Euro tie became a rather pointless training exercise

THIS was supposed to be the biggest night in LASK’s history.

A club that was on the brink of liquidation due to financial problems, a team that have risen through the Austrian divisions to reach Europe.

Daniel James got on the score sheet as Man Utd eased to a 5-0 win against LASKCredit: Getty Images – Getty

A team like Manchester United coming to town, this should’ve been a massive occasion in front of a packed-out stadium and a chance to show Europe what they’re made of.

But the decision to play the game behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic made it all feel rather pointless.

Manchester United won 5-0 with goals from Odion Ighalo, Daniel James, Juan Mata, Andreas Pereira and Mason Greenwood, but who really cares?

Football without fans simply means nothing.

This game should’ve been postponed and played at a later date after the worst of the outbreak was over, or just not at all.

With no crowd or hostile atmosphere to contend with, this was a training exercise for Manchester United against a far inferior team.

Uefa will meet on Tuesday to decide the future of the Champions League and Europa League this season as well as the Euros.

The sensible thing to do would be cancel Euro 2020 and extend the club season into the summer, allowing leagues to suspend play for a few weeks and still finish their campaigns.

Had the decision from Uefa been taken earlier and more decisively, LASK fans might have been allowed into the stadium to see their side face the mighty Manchester United later in the year.

Behind closed doors with the threat that this could all be for nothing if the season is scrapped, it simply wasn’t right.

Next week’s second leg at Old Trafford surely won’t take place as scheduled after Tuesday’s meeting.

And if the decision is to suspend the season and resume in a few weeks or months, will anyone even remember or still care about this tie?

Credit to Manchester United for reimbursing all fans who had an away ticket for tonight with £350.

The club realise how important fans are to football. Shame for LASK that their supporters never got to see their heroes take on one of the world’s biggest clubs.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk