Manchester United came from 2-0 down to defeat Roma at 3-2 in an incredible Champions League night at Old Trafford, while Socceroos star Nestory Irankunda was left on the bench as his Sporting CP won 1-0 against Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk in London.
United’s victory was their first in 54 days to end a nine-match winless run and to ease the pressure on under-fire manager Michael Carrick.
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It came in typically chaotic fashion, however, as Matheus Cunha scored in the 83rd minute before finding the back of the net again three minutes later to take the lead.
The Brazilian was then sent off in the 91st minute – he was booked for his celebration of the winning goal and then slid it into Roma centre back Leonardo Balerdi to be shown a red card.
Cunha sent off after special brace | 00:30
It left United scrambling with ten men during stoppage time, but they managed to keep their lead in tact.
The second half fight back sparked a dramatic turnaround in Old Trafford’s stands.
United fans were engaging in open revolt after Matías Soulé was left unmarked and scored in the 11th minute.
Donyell Malen doubled Roma’s advantage from the penalty spot six minutes later courtesy of Ayden Heaven’s handball –
Carrick reacted to Lisandro Martinez’s foolish red card in a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday by dropping the Argentine international.
The home supporters were ready to rip the Theatre of Dreams to the ground.
In a nod to 2005, when the club was bought by the billionaire American Glazer family, fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch at the 20 minute and five second mark, and the game was briefly stopped.
They also chanted “we want Glazers” out and “sell United and f***off home”.
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Cunha double rescues United against Roma | 00:27
The United ownership and current executives were under a constant verbal barrage for the remainder of the first half and the team was booed off the pitch after the half-time whistle blew.
“There’s not been anything in this performance. I haven’t seen a tackle, a cross, an effort at goal. There is nothing in this performance to be positive about,” Premier League legend Alan Shearer said on Amazon Prime at half-time.
“I don’t know where [Carrick] starts because they have been that poor in every department.
“Defensively all over the place, midfield no creativity, and up front no running in behind, no efforts at goal, no holding the ball up. It’s really been embarrassing for them.”
United were dealt a further blow inside two minutes of the second half when £70 million ($94 million) signing Carlos Baleba pulled up with a suspected severe hamstring injury after bursting into the Roma box.
Yet, Carrick’s luck turned just before the hour mark when Cunha won a generous penalty award for minimal contact by Gianluca Mancini, and Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty after a retake.
The United captain initially missed, but replays showed Roma’s defenders had encroached before goalkeeper Devis Vásquez’s save.
There were no issues for Fernandes the second time around, and getting a goal back woke United from the dead.
“You got the sense that once they got the first goal, it got everyone going again, and then the belief and confidence came back,” Shearer said after the match.
Roma hardly fired a shot in the second half and the wave of momentum that was going United’s way led to Cunha’s moments of magic, and madness.
Fernandes curled in a cross and Balerdi completely missed the ball in an attempted clearance blunder to gift Cunha his first from close range.
Cunha’s second was more stunning as he spotted an opening and put his foot through a powerful strike at the near post, and create pandemonium at Old Trafford.
Cunha flung himself into the crowd in what proved to be a costly celebration.
He was booked and then shown a second yellow card moments later for a wild lunge in stoppage time.
The 10 men held on to breathe new life into United’s Champions League campaign after back-to-back defeats against Atletico Madrid and Como.
Whether it proves to be a turning point or just another stay of execution for Carrick remains to be seen.
Roma, though, failed to slay their ghosts of previous trips to Old Trafford in another spectacular Champions League collapse.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s lost 4-3 to Real Madrid last month after leading 3-1 with just eight minutes remaining.
The Italians have now lost on all five visits to the Theatre of Dreams, most notably when Carrick scored twice in a 7-1 thrashing in the Champions League quarter-finals 19 years ago.
At full-time, Carrick was once again the toast of the Red side of Manchester with fans giving the team a standing ovation off the pitch.
“It was a good night. I have to a lot of credit to the players for starters, showing that character and that quality when we needed it and to the supporters. This place does incredible, magical things,” Carrick said.
“I thought we grew into it the first half after giving the goals too easily. We spoke at half time about how this place can change, it only takes one moment and it certainly did that and the boys made the most of every opportunity and were fantastic in the end.”
While Fernandes opened up on how United’s recent struggles have impacted him.
“It’s tough to say something at the moment to be honest. It’s been a tough period for us, we have not been able to play in the way we want, get the results we want. We’ve done some good bits, but not had the consistency to do it through a whole game to get results and it’s been tough.
“But today was important to get a win. We knew after that we still had the fans with us, we felt we could change it with a goal and something and fortunately we did it today.”
As for his penalty miss and re-take: “First one didn’t go the way I wanted, I did something wrong but I got a second chance and I cleared my head and my mind was only on to get the ball in back of the net.
“It’s been tough for the fans, we understand that. Having that belief from their side helps the team a lot and today was one of those days that Old Trafford came alive.”
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AUSSIE’S SETBACK UNDER NEW MANAGER
Nestory Irankunda has suffered a Champions League setback as he prepares to adjust to an eighth head coach in 16 months.
The Australian sensation has become a regular started at Sporting CP under manager Rui Borges, including playing a key role in UCL matches against Lens and LASK in October.
But after six consecutive starts, Irankunda was benched for their clash with Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk, seeing out the 1-0 win as an unused substitute.
The move comes just days after Sporting shockingly sacked Borges, despite taking the team to Portugal’s Primeira Liga title just last season.
Reserve team coach Tiago Fernandes took the reins against Shakhtar Donetsk, with Lyon head coach Paulo Fonseca, who is Portuguese, expected to be appointed to the full time position in coming days.
The news has been slammed in France, with former great Christophe Dugarry saying Fonseca’s move is “terrible for football”.
“It disgusts me … the team was built for you and you’re worried about those extra eight months? Can’t you finish the season?” Dugarry told RMC Sport.
“It’s not the right attitude from Fonseca, he could have stayed. I don’t believe his crocodile tears at all, because if it hurt you that much, you would have stayed.”
Sporting secured a vital 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge, with Ukrainian teams unable to host matches, via a 59th-minute strike from Issa Doumbia following a scramble in the box.
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BARCA RUIN PREMIER LEAGUE OUTFIT’S DREAM START
Raphinha struck twice to propel Barcelona to a 3-0 Champions League win over visitors Aston Villa on Tuesday, ending the English side’s perfect start to the competition.
Five-time winners Barcelona took an early lead through Lamine Yamal before Raphinha continued his fine goalscoring form with a second-half brace.
Barca bounced back after defeat by champions Paris Saint-Germain in their previous European outing to stay in the hunt for a top eight league phase berth.
Unai Emery’s Villa competed well in the first half but were eventually undone by Barca’s greater ability in the final third.
The Champions League anthem was not played before the game, as a mark of respect for Tenerife striker Jesus De Miguel, who died on Tuesday morning after an on-pitch collision in a Spanish second division match the previous day, provoking shock across the football world.
“Yes it was (a good win), I want to dedicate this win to the fans, but today I don’t want to talk about football, I want to send a message to the family of Jesus — may he rest in peace,” Raphinha told Movistar.
“This can happen to anyone, it’s very tough… you’re going to play a game and the same thing can happen to you…
“From the club, I want to send a message of strength to the family.” Villa captain John McGinn had only visited the Camp Nou once previously, on a summer holiday as an eight-year-old, and might have expected better weather than the downpour both teams were subjected to.
The skipper might also have expected a more focused start, with Villa handing Barcelona the lead in the seventh minute.
The Spanish champions pressed Aston Villa extremely high and Joao Gomes played a poor pass straight to Yamal in his own box. The 19-year-old winger gladly took the gift and stroked past Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
Emery, who endured one of the worst nights of his career away at Barca when helming PSG in 2017 during a 6-1 defeat, may have feared the worst.
However Villa reacted strongly and Matty Cash had a vicious drive deflected narrowly wide before Joao Cancelo blocked Gomes’s effort.
– End-to-end –
Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia was quick off his line to beat Nicolas Jackson to a dangerous through-ball.
Suzuki saved from Anthony Gordon as Villa again struggled to bring the ball out from the back under Barca’s pressing.
Garcia was called into action again by Johan Manzambi as the match lurched from end-to-end.
Barcelona extended their lead early in the second half when Fermin Lopez fed Raphinha, who showed quick footwork before finding the bottom corner.
Cancelo powered a strike narrowly over before setting up Raphinha for Barcelona’s third with a superb cross with the outside of his boot.
The Brazil winger, who has made the number nine position his own this season, pounced from close range for his 19th goal of the season across all competitions.
Yamal sent a shot skidding wide as Barcelona probed for a fourth. It did not come, but the Catalan giants were able to record a first Champions League clean sheet in 19 games.
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UNDER-MANNED BAYERN PREVAIL
Bayern Munich overcame a horror list of absences to cruise to a 2-0 win away at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Teenage Germany forward Lennart Karl opened the scoring and Konrad Laimer added another as Bayern triumphed despite a bulging casualty ward.
Jamal Musiala, Luis Diaz, Serge Gnabry and Ismael Saibari were on Bayern’s injury list but it meant little as freshly-minted Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane and captain Joshua Kimmich marshalled his troops to a memorable victory.
The German champions also arrived in Madrid without coach Vincent Kompany, sick with a meningitis-related condition.
Despite laying on an assist for Laimer, Kane failed to score meaning he missed out on equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for scoring in 11 straight Champions League games.
With two wins and two draws, Bayern climbed to eighth spot on the table while Atletico finish Tuesday night in 22nd spot on the 36-team table.
Undermanned Bayern were handed a boost pre-match when Michael Olise was given the all clear to start after being subbed out late with a knee injury against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
Olise joined Bayern’s two remaining senior forwards Kane and Karl in the starting line-up, with wingback Alphonso Davies pushed up onto the left wing.
Atletico were received their own late injury withdrawal when Christian Romero was ruled out on matchday.
Julian Alvarez came close to giving the hosts an early lead, flashing inches wide of the post three minutes in.
Kane had his own chance to break the deadlock midway through the opening half but blasted wide of Jan Oblak’s goal on the turn.
Atletico had repelled the visitors despite ceding possession and field position but it was a simple mistake from the hosts which allowed Bayern to take the lead.
Robin Le Normand took too long on the ball allowing the energetic Karl to pick his pocket and loft a shot over the advancing Oblak.
Chasing the game, Diego Simeone made three changes but Bayern scored next when Kane drifted a clever pass into Laimer’s path, allowing the Austrian to blast in off the crossbar.
Bayern could have had a third with 10 minutes remaining when Dayot Upamecano outmuscled his marker and headed in, but the big Frenchman was penalised for an offensive foul.
Despite having few remaining bench options, Bayern looked the team most likely to score in the dying moments as they easily kept Atletico at bay in a comfortable victory.