On the night Bobby Charlton was in attendance, Andre Onana and Harry Maguire emerged as the unlikely heroes as Manchester United defeated FC Copenhagen 1-0 to begin their Champions League campaign. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho then accomplished the same feat with just Grabara to overcome.
Instead, center-back Maguire helped out his forwards so that Charlton’s final game would at least be won.
The England international had significantly slipped down the pecking order in Ten Hag’s inaugural campaign, but he is making the most of a string of defensive injuries that have pushed him back into the mix.
18 minutes from time, Maguire just remained onside to meet Eriksen’s cross with a powerful header.
Garnacho and Scott McTominay missed significant opportunities to extend United’s lead, thus a second goal should have been added.
And when McTominay was called for a high foot on Elyounoussi in stoppage time, they nearly had to pay.
Larsson, the son of former United scorer Henrik Larsson, moved forward but Onana blocked his hard shot, setting off raucous celebrations.Old Trafford is remembered.
18 minutes from the end, the much-maligned centre defender Maguire headed in the game’s sole goal before Jordan Larsson’s penalty attempt was denied by Onana with the game’s final kick.
The English juggernauts had lost their first two group stage matches in the Champions League for the first time in club history, but a much-needed victory has put them back in the running for the round of 16.
Charlton, one of United’s all-time best players, passed away on Saturday at the age of 86.
Before the game began, Erik ten Hag, the manager of United, paid a poignant tribute to the 1966 World Cup victor by placing a wreath in the centre circle and calling for a minute of silence.
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After a challenging start to the season, Ten Hag challenged his team to draw motivation from Charlton’s legacy.
But another mediocre first-half effort would have demoralised the Dutchman.
After only five minutes, the defending champions of Denmark were only a few feet from taking the lead.
Maguire was stripped of his control by Mohamed Elyounoussi, and Diogo Goncalves turned the former Southampton forward’s cross onto the post.
Before the game began, there was an emotional feeling around Old Trafford that rapidly changed to moans of despair as the home team struggled to produce anything noteworthy before halftime.
In response, Ten Hag pitted Christian Eriksen, a Danish international, against other Danes.
United did not awaken from their slumber until Copenhagen had two more significant opportunities to establish a startling lead.
Onana establishes his value.
In United’s Champions League losses to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray, Onana committed high-profile blunders.
However, the player who assisted Inter Milan in reaching the competition’s final last year demonstrated why United forked over £47 million for him in July.
Lukas Lerager’s attempt to find the top corner was stopped by Onana’s first significant save of the contest.
Elias Achouri missed a volley moments later at the far post when unmarked.
The main contender for the Danish national team and Eriksen’s successor, Rasmus Hojlund, struggled against his previous team.
The most significant contribution from Hojlund was setting up Eriksen for a strong low shot that former Liverpool custodian Kamil Grabara expertly deflected away.
The troubles United have had thus far this season have been greatly impacted by Marcus Rashford’s loss of form.
The England international, who has 30 goals last season, has only scored once so far this year and squandered a wonderful opportunity to start the scoring when one-on-one with Grabara with a heavy touch.
With a win, United moves one point closer to Galatasaray and surpasses Copenhagen to claim third place in Group A.
After defeating Galatasaray 3-1, Bayern has now won three straight games, putting them in position to qualify for the World Cup.
AFP
