Manchester United Stunned 2-1 by Young Boys in Thrilling Champions League Opener
- A last-gasp winner by Young Boys condemned Manchester United to defeat in their opening Champions League game
- Substitute Jesse Lingard played an awful back pass late on which was punished by Jordan Siebatcheu
- Cristiano Ronaldo had initially given the visitors the lead with his third goal in two games
- Momentum shifted to the hosts after Aaron Wan Bissaka was sent off late in the first half
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Manchester United succumbed to a shock defeat to minions Young Boys as Jesse Lingard’s error late in the game handed the hosts a famous victory in Switzerland.
Source: Getty Images
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men had to play the second half with 10 men after the sending off of Aaron Wan Bissaka for a dangerous challenge.
United were heavy favourites going into the game for several reasons, but perhaps the most significant one was the fact that they had the Champions League’s most prolific scorer Cristiano Ronaldo in their side.
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Aged 36, Cristiano was given the nod in the starting lineup for his first Champions League game in a Manchester United shirt since the final against Barcelona in 2009.
His inclusion in the squad paid dividend almost immediately as he was on the scoresheet in the 13th minute after latching onto a brilliant Bruno Fernandes ball over the top.
In truth, Young Boys were brave and direct in their approach and despite going behind, they kept testing goalkeeper David De Gea from distance.
Things took a turn for the worse for the visitors after Aaron Wan Bissaka was sent off in the 36th minute after he seemed to stand on the ankle of Christopher Martins Pereira after initially making a poor first touch.
Solskjaer’s side looked disoriented since the red card and the gaffer was forced into making a change, with Diogo Dalot coming in to replace Jadon Sancho.
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Momentum also shifted Young Boys way as they played with much more fluidity in the second half, with United seemingly retreating after going down to 10 men.
The hosts pressure eventually paid off in the 66th minute when Meshack Elia, who had been a nuisance throughout the match, whipped in a cross from the right which was met by Moumi Ngamaleu.
Six minutes later and Solskjaer created another talking point in the game after deciding to take off Portuguese duo Cristiano and Bruno Fernandes for Jesse Lingard and Nemanja Matic.
From then, it was a tale of attack vs defence as United completely retreated and looked seemingly resigned to a draw, but late drama was beckoning.
As the game was meandering towards a draw, Jesse Lingard played a horrendous back pass which Jordan Siebatcheu latched onto to slot the ball beyond an onrushing David De Gea.
That proved to be the final action of the game as United stumbled in their opener in Europe’s elite
In the other group game, 10-man Sevilla were held to a 1-1 draw by Salzburg in a game which saw four penalties awarded in the first half for the first time in Champions League history.
Source: YEN.com.gh
