Man Utd defeated Copenhagen with two goals early on, but Rashford’s red card towards the end of the first half reduced the away team to just ten players. Man Utd suffered a 3–4 loss as a result, finishing last in Group A.
In the fourth game of the Champions League group stage, Manchester United is on the road in Copenhagen. The teachers and pupils of Ten Hag have an extremely clear goal: they need to earn all three points in order to advance to the 1/8 round and take second position in the league. At Parken Stadium, the “Red Devils” caused the fans to feel a range of emotions, including happiness, disappointment, and despair.
The game picks up quickly after the first whistle, and Man Utd is feeling confident as the guest at Copenhagen Stadium. Man Utd attacked the right wing in the third minute. Hojlund was able to comfortably cushion the ball into the net close to the left post after McTominay made his escape to receive it and crossed the ball with ease.
Hojlund celebrates after opening the score in the match (Photo: Getty).
Conceding a goal at home, Copenhagen attacked and found an equalizer, but it was ineffective due to the away team’s tight defense. In the 27th minute, Man Utd made a quick counterattack, goalkeeper Grabara pushed away Garnacho’s shot, but Hojlund scored to increase the score to 2-0.
The Danish striker almost got a hat-trick immediately afterward with a strong shot close to the penalty area. Goalkeeper Grabara shined with a kick to push the ball over the bar. Grabara continued to be the home team’s hero when he caught Maguire’s header from a corner.
In the 38th minute, Rashford used the bottom of his shoe to kick a Copenhagen player’s ankle while covering the ball. The referee did not detect this situation. However, VAR stepped in after reviewing the video of referee Rumsas sending Rashford off.
Rashford received a red card for an unnecessary foul (Photo: Getty).
Man Utd had only 10 players left from the 42nd minute, the lack of players had a strong impact on the away team. In the 44th minute, Man Utd’s defense system functioned incorrectly, allowing Elyounoussi to shoot from the center of the penalty area. The ball dipped, leaving Onana unable to block it.
Minute 45+7, Maguire touched the ball with his hand in the penalty area, the referee awarded a penalty to Copenhagen. Onana had pushed a penalty kick in the first leg, this time he misjudged Goncalves’ shot direction, the match score was equalized 2-2.
Goncalves defeated Onana from the 11m mark (Photo: Getty).
Goncalves celebrates with teammates after scoring (Photo: Getty).
Playing without players made it difficult for Man Utd in the second half. However, the away team suddenly received a penalty in the 69th minute because a home team player touched the ball with his hand in the penalty area. Fernandes successfully scored a 11m penalty, increasing the score to 3-2.
Copenhagen did not accept losing points at home, the home team changed personnel, increasing offensive pressure. In the 84th minute, Lerager finished near the right post after a cross from his teammate. Dalot made a mistake by not following the opponent closely, allowing the home team player to tie the score 3-3.
Copenhagen’s fourth goal came in the 87th minute, with the same scenario as the third goal. The home player hung the ball high into the away team’s penalty area. Man Utd’s defense could not block it, allowing Bardghji to finish from close range to seal a 4-3 victory.
Bardghji celebrates Copenhagen’s fourth goal (Photo: Getty).
In the remaining match of Group A, Bayern Munich won 2-1 against Galatasaray to continue their winning record. After the 4th match, Bayern Munich had 12 points and won a ticket to qualify for the Champions League group stage. Copenhagen ranked 2nd, Galatasaray ranked 3rd, with the same 4 points. Man Utd is at the bottom of the table with 3 points.
So both Copenhagen, Galatasaray and Man Utd still have a chance to compete for the second ticket of Group A into the 1/8 round, but Man Utd’s door to continue is the smallest.