Maybe it was destined from the beginning, but Manchester United’s awful UEFA Champions League run ended on Tuesday at Old Trafford with a 1-0 loss to group winners Bayern Munich.
Manchester United was utterly outplayed by Bayern Munich, who scored the game’s only goal with just 20 minutes left, even though they were only defeated by 1-0. In the ninety minutes of a crucial match, United tried just five shots in total, one of which was on target. Only one of their five shots was taken from within the penalty area, at a distance of 17 yards; the other four were all from 20 yards and beyond.
The Bundesliga champions needed to defeat Erik ten Hag’s team, which was defeated by 3-0 at home by Bournemouth on Saturday, and hope that Copenhagen and Galatasaray’s second group match ended in a draw.
And on an evening of bitter disappointment, United were still incapable of living up to their half of the agreement, even if Bayern were already the clear winners of Group A.
Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw’s first-half injuries greatly restricted United, and rumors of Copenhagen’s victory in Denmark were beginning to emerge.
With 20 minutes remaining, Bayern scored the game-winning goal which sealed their fate.
Ultimately, England’s captain Harry Kane used a smart pass to free Kingsley Coman, who comfortably defeated United goalkeeper Andre Onana in front of the Stretford End.
United only emerged victorious from six group matches in the league, and their loss to Bayern means they also lost out on the opportunity to finish third and advance to the Europa League.
For the most part, Man United held off Bayern’s elite attacking group, but in the end, they managed to overcome. In the seventieth minute, Harry Kane’s brilliant touch allowed Kingsley Coman to go through on goal and one-on-one with Andre Onana, breaking the home team’s defense. Coman shot inside the far post to seal the victory with a powerful and strong take.
