bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said his side would give up their Europa League trophy if it would bring back the 22 victims of Monday’s terror attack in Manchester.
United beat Ajax 2-0 in Stockholm on Wednesday to win the Europa League for the first time, but the game was overshadowed by the deadly suicide attack on concert-goers at Manchester Arena, which also left dozens injured.
“If we could, we would obviously change the people’s lives for this cup, immediately,” Mourinho told reporters at the Friends Arena.
“We wouldn’t think twice. Does this cup make the city of Manchester a little bit happier? Maybe. But we just came to do our job.
“We came without the happiness we should bring with us, because when you come for these big matches, you come happy, you come proud. And we didn’t. we just came to do our job.”

The game was preceded by a minute’s silence, which was interrupted by applause from both sets of fans, and United’s players wore black armbands.
Mourinho agreed with European governing body Uefa’s decision to allow the match to go ahead, but said the victory would always be associated with sad thoughts about what happened in Manchester.
“It’s really hard,” said the Portuguese, whose pre-match press conference on Tuesday was cancelled.
“That’s why yesterday we didn’t want to have the press conference because we had to prepare ourselves to do our job and to try to forget events that are obviously much more important than our job.
“But the world goes on. It doesn’t stop and we have to do our work. I agree with the Uefa decision to play the match.
“But if we have questions like your questions that made us return to this tragedy, obviously it takes happiness from our achievement.”

French midfielder Paul Pogba, who opened the scoring in the game, dedicated the triumph to the victims, saying: “We played for the people who died.”
“These things are terrible all over the world, in London and in Paris,” said Pogba, who was also playing at the Stade de France on the night of the November 2015 Paris terror attacks.
“We went out focused to win and we won for Manchester and the country,” he said.
“We played for England, we played for Manchester and we played for the people who died.”

United fan favourite Ander Herrera, voted man of the match, echoed Pogba’s words.
“I want to dedicate the trophy to the victims,” the Spanish midfielder told a press conference.
“Yesterday morning we were devastated. We were really, really sad. It was really, really difficult to train.
“But the manager told us the only thing we could do was to win this for them and that’s what we’ve done.”
Spain international Juan Mata said: “We have won a trophy the club has never won, so we are really happy.
“It means a lot as it is my first European trophy with United and after what happened yesterday, it is nice to bring a trophy back for Manchester.
“It has been a really difficult week in the city of Manchester and we are happy to win for all the people that have suffered.”


Europa League final: Son Heung-min happy to be Tottenham legend at last after Bilbao glory

Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur set for season-defining Europa League final duel

Tottenham snatch late draw against Rangers, wins for Manchester United, Chelsea in Europe

Chelsea stay perfect, United win, Spurs do Spurs things, Swiatek handed doping ban

Uefa Europa League

‘We’d swap cup for victims’ lives’  says Mourinho after Manchester United beat Ajax to win Europa League

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (C) lifts the trophy as his teammates celebrate after the Uefa Europa League final. Photo: EPA

Football Soccer - Ajax Amsterdam v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League Final - Friends Arena, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden - 24/5/17 Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho celebrates with coaching staff Reuters / Phil Noble Livepic TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

epa05987924 Ajax players hold a minute of silence to pay tribute to the victims of the Manchester terror attack before the UEFA Europa League final between Ajax Amsterdam and Manchester United at Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, 24 May 2017. EPA/VASSIL DONEV

Manchester United's French midfielder Paul Pogba celebrates with his medal after the UEFA Europa League final football match Ajax Amsterdam v Manchester United on May 24, 2017 at the Friends Arena in Solna outside Stockholm. / AFP PHOTO / Jonathan NACKSTRAND

‘We’d swap cup for victims’ lives’ says Mourinho after Manchester United beat Ajax to win Europa League

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Joy of victory overshadowed by Monday’s suicide bomb in the city

Joy of victory overshadowed by Monday’s suicide bomb in the city