Copenhagen 4 Manchester United 3
[Elyounoussi 45, Goncalves 45+9, Lerager 83, Bardghji 87; Hojlund 3, 28, Fernandes 69]
After seven goals, two pivotal VAR decisions, two penalties and a red card, 10-man Manchester United ended on the wrong end of a shattering 4-3 defeat in the Champions League.
Initially in control, Marcus Rashford’s sending off, which came when United were 2-0 up, precipitated a collapse that allowed Copenhagen to be level by the break. The No 10′s dismissal was the first VAR adjudication that arrived via the touchline TV. The second came after Harry Maguire’s header was handled by Lukas Lerager and Donatas Rumsas, the referee, awarded the spot-kick.
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With 69 minutes gone, Bruno Fernandes scored this but now, Copenhagen showed character because, as this Group A game aged, Lerager squeezed in an equalizer, then Roony Bardghji crashed home the winner to break United hearts.
All this was after Ten Hag’s side scored on 171 seconds to offer a metaphorical finger-to-lips that shushed Jacob Neestrop, the Copenhagen coach who promised Parken Stadion would be a wall of noise.
It was via a ramped-up atmosphere that featured The Imperial March from Star Wars, an extended banner which declared “Welcome To Your Theatre Of Nightmares”, and billboard-sized images that showed a sleeping red devil and other images referencing Copenhagen’s 2006 1-0 win here, also in the group stage.
Copenhagen’s home record in the phase was a proud two losses from 16 outings so you could comprehend Neestrop’s bullish stance that their backyard would be a “cauldron” for their visitors.
Yet inside three minutes United had their support jumping and the Danes upset due to what was, perhaps, their finest strike this season. As Copenhagen pressed Diogo Dalot surged along the left and pinged the ball to Bruno Fernandes. His crossfield ball spiralled and was killed with aplomb by Marcus Rashford who caressed it down the right. There, Aaron Wan-Bissaka crossed to Scott McTominay whose relay was stabbed in by Rasmus Højlund.
Here, the aptest of ripostes to Neestrup. Less ideal, though, was the pitch invader who entered holding a Palestine flag and took too long to be accosted by security personnel. Moments later Jonny Evans had to withdraw with an injury and, at the same time, a stricken person caused a medical emergency and was eventually carried away under a white cover for privacy – the PA announcer stating, later, that they were “well considering the circumstances”.
Ten Hag again chose Harry Maguire and Evans at centre-back, suggesting the 30- and 35-year-old are first-choice ahead of Victor Lindelöf of Raphaël Varane, who now came on for the Northern Irishman. This was Evans’s first Champions League start since a Sir Alex Ferguson United XI drew 1-1 with Real Madrid and it provided further injury woe for Ten Hag.
In possession each team could move the opponent round, as shown by a Copenhagen sequence that went left to right and needed André Onana to fling himself at a slicing ball as Elias Achouri swooped in. But, now, it became two-nil – from a break engineered by Fernandes. The Portuguese’s pass went to Alejandro Garnacho, who sped along the left and shot: Kamil Grabara parried and there was Højlund for a tap-in for a second versus his first club.
At this juncture United were what they had failed to be too often this term – ruthless before goal. Now, though, they were alarmingly slipshod at the back. After a Højlund shot, VAR reviewed Rashford’s challenge on Elias Jelert near United’s area. After Donatas Rumsas was ordered to the monitor the referee sent off the No 10 and, seconds later, Mohamed Elyounoussi scored.
This came after he first hammered the free-kick for Rashford’s foul off Onana’s bar. Play broke, Peter Ankersen crossed from the right, Diogo Gonçalves sidefooted the ball back in and an unmarked Elyounoussi finished.
Next, Scott McTominay was culpable for Copenhagen’s second as his wild punt went to those in white who moved the ball into the area, where Gonçalves’s effort hit Maguire’s hand. Rumsas awarded a penalty and the same player scored in the ninth minute of added time.
If United felt sore about Rashford’s dismissal – it seemed harsh – this was now Operation Regroup for the second half. To do so, Sofyan Amrabat’s greater defensive qualities were introduced, by Ten Hag, for Eriksen. A draw would now be a fair result but United went front-foot on the ball, operating an attacking trident of Fernandes, Højlund and Garnacho, causing Denmark’s champions to have to hunt it down.
When they did so the visitors went to a 4-4-1 that was a test of Copenhagen’s creativity. Denis Vavro’s 30-yard pea-roller that Onana saved with ease suggested a lack of the commodity that pleased United while they were encouraged by an attack that had Dalot shooting into Grabara’s arm at an angle.
The Parken Stadion faithful mixed songs with jeers whenever Onana took his time but you could not blame the United No 1. Then, after Fernandes’s penalty, came the late interventions of Lerager and Bardghji. - Guardian
