Spain’s Bilbao, Early Thursday night, Manchester United defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in their UEFA Europa League semifinal first leg match thanks to two goals from Bruno Fernandes.

At the Estadio de San Mames, where Bilbao had not lost since August, United made a spectacular attempt to break through what is perhaps Europe’s strongest fortress.

In the 30th minute of the game, Casermiro gave the Red Devils the lead after a goalless 30 minutes thanks to a spectacular effort by Harry Maguire and Manuel Ugarte.

Later, a foul by the home team greatly aided United, who were given a penalty. Bruno quickly converted the chance into a goal, increasing the advantage in the 37th minute.

With a few substitutions, Bilbao attempted to slow United’s progress, but before the conclusion of the first half, Bruno had quadrupled the advantage with his brace, sliding home following Ugarte’s deft backheel. The result remained unchanged after that.

Old Trafford in Manchester will host the match’s second leg on May 8.

At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur, another English team, defeated Bodo/Glimt 3-1.

Spurs got off to a fantastic start as Brennan Johnson scored the game-winning header after only 38 seconds, securing their spot in the next UEFA Champions League.

Pedro Porro picked up James Maddison over the top of the defense, and the midfielder quickly outsmarted goaltender Nikita Haikin to score the second goal in the 34th minute.

Dominic Solanke comfortably scored a penalty kick for the home team after Cristian Romero was taken down by the visitors in the area, bringing the score to 2-0 at halftime.

Spurs expected a clean sweep going into the second leg away from home on May 8, but Ulrik Saltnes’ goal in the 83rd minute added to their concerns even if it had no bearing on the result.