Manchester United suffer 1-2 away defeat to Swiss champions despite superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener; Red Devils manager Solskjaer slams team for lack of focus and poor discipline
Young Boys’ Jordy Siebatcheu (right) celebrates his stoppage-time winner against Manchester United on Tuesday. Pic/AFP
Manchester United slumped to a shock 1-2 loss at Young Boys despite a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo in their Champions League opener on Tuesday.
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Ronaldo, the leading scorer in Champions League history, bagged his 135th goal in the competition after 13 minutes in Bern, but Swiss champions Young Boys hit back after the sending-off of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The United defender saw red for a dangerous tackle on Christopher Martins before half-time. Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu equalised in the second half before Jordan Siebatcheu snatched the winner with the final kick.
Man Utd’s Paul Pogba (right) and Fred wear a dejected look during their UEFA Champions League tie against Young Boys on Tuesday. Pic/AFP
Terrible start
It is a terrible start for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United side in Group F, especially with tougher tests likely to come against Atalanta and Villarreal.
“That’s football at the highest level, a lack of concentration, make a mistake and you get punished,” Solskjaer said of the mistake that led to the Young Boys winner. He was also adamant that Wan-Bissaka’s game-changing red card, while understandable, was a harsh decision. “It was never reckless or malicious but probably a little bit of inexperience,” Solskjaer insisted.
Man Utd boss Solskjaer; (right) Cristiano Ronaldo
We’ll bounce back: Maguire
“It’s the first game in the group. We’ve got many games to bounce back and we must do,” said United captain Harry Maguire. “We’ll try and pick up three points in our next game and build momentum from there.”
United host Villarreal in two weeks. The Spaniards, who beat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men in last season’s Europa League final, drew 2-2 at home to Atalanta in the other Group F match.
“You need 10, maybe 12 points. You need to win your home games and maybe one away. We have lost an opportunity to get three points but we have two home games next,” Solskjaer said.
Last season United won their first two matches in a difficult group against PSG and RB Leipzig, but still ended up finishing third.
Indeed it is a decade since the Old Trafford club were a genuine force in the Champions League, something they are desperate to put right this season. Since losing to Barcelona in the 2011 final, United have won two knockout ties in the competition, one against Olympiakos and an infamous victory against PSG in the early days of Solskjaer’s reign.
135
No. of Champions League goals Cristiano Ronaldo has scored
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