Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford is proven a pink card in the Champions League group match towards FC Copenhagen on November 8, 2023
| Photo Credit: by way of Reuters
On a royally good night for standout Spanish groups, Manchester United fell in one other wild loss in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Real Madrid and Real Sociedad superior to the spherical of 16 with two video games to spare after impressive residence wins over Portuguese opponents, respectively 3-0 towards Braga and 3-1 over Benfica.
Bayern Munich and Inter Milan additionally received and can be in the knockout section after getting key late objectives from their talismanic strikers, Harry Kane and Lautaro Martínez.
Kane scored in the eightieth and 86th minutes in a 2-1 win over Galatasaray and Inter’s 1-0 win at Salzburg was sealed by Martínez’s penalty in the eighty fifth.
Rashford’s pink card sparks chaos
Man United virtually by no means has simple video games in the English large’s drama-filled season on and off the sphere.
A 4-3 loss at Copenhagen — the identical outcome as United’s opening recreation at Bayern — after twice letting leads slip left coach Erik ten Hag’s crew final in Group A.
The three-time European champion appeared in whole management with a two-goal lead after 28 minutes earned by $80 million ahead Rasmus Højlund, returning to face his former membership.
A pink card for United ahead Marcus Rashford in the 42th sparked the chaos to observe, which noticed Copenhagen stage the rating in 13 minutes of first-half stoppage time due to two pauses in play, together with a protester on the sphere.
United led again when Bruno Fernandes scored from the penalty spot in the 69th however couldn’t grasp on. Lukas Lerager leveled in the 83rd earlier than 17-year-old substitute Roony Bardghji received it in the 87th.
The Kuwait-born, Sweden under-21 winger scored with a bouncing shot to raise the Danish champion into second place in the group standings, although with simply 4 factors. Galatasaray additionally has 4 factors earlier than internet hosting United, which has three, subsequent on November 29.
Arsenal beats Sevilla
Arsenal took a four-point lead in Group B by comfortably beating Sevilla 2-0 whereas PSV Eindhoven rose from final place to second with its first win, 1-0 at residence to Lens.
In Madrid’s group, Napoli has a grip on second place regardless of failing to increase Union Berlin’s shedding run in all competitions to 13 video games.
Napoli wasted a lead in a 1-1 draw that Union earned when David Datro Fofana, a ahead on mortgage from Chelsea, scored in the 52nd for his first aim in virtually a 12 months.
Real Madrid impressive
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti plans included resting breakout star Jude Bellingham in what was a vibrant recreation with Braga for the report 14-time European champion.
Not in the plan was deciding on Ukraine goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who obtained a late name when first alternative Kepa Arrizabalaga was unable to heat up due to a leg muscle damage.
Just six minutes into his third recreation of the season for Madrid, and first since August, Lunin saved a penalty from Braga’s Alvaro Djaló.
Brahim Díaz had a aim disallowed earlier than he gave Madrid a first-half lead and Brazil teammates Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo added objectives in a three-minute spell across the hour mark.
Real Sociedad threatened to comb apart Benfica in the primary half of a 3-1 win that noticed its three objectives all scored by the twenty first and a penalty missed minutes later.
In its first Champions League marketing campaign for 10 years, Real Sociedad and long-serving coach Imanol Aguacil are impressing with a largely homegrown group of gamers from the Basque area.
Benfica bust
A Champions League quarterfinalist in every of the previous two seasons, Benfica is a complete bust this season. The champion of Portugal sustained its fourth straight loss, leaving no likelihood of reaching the knockout stage.
One 12 months in the past, Benfica went unbeaten by means of its group and completed high forward of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
Coach Roger Schmidt’s crew then included Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez and Portugal ahead Gonçalo Ramos who would each later shine on the World Cup in Qatar. They are actually at Chelsea and PSG, respectively.
Schmidt acknowledged Wednesday his gamers “aren’t ready for the demands of a game at this level in the Champions League.”
Benfica has two video games left to avoid wasting face and safe entry into the Europa League knockout playoffs in February by ending third in Group D. A final recreation at Salzburg on December 12 must be decisive.
