Manchester United’s season suffered a huge blow as a defeat at German side RB Leipzig knocked them out of the Champions League.
Needing just a draw to progress to the last 16, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side conceded twice inside 13 minutes to leave their hopes in tatters before RB Leipzig added what ultimately turned out to be the killer third with 20 minutes left.
United staged their now customary second-half fightback thanks to a Bruno Fernandes penalty and Harry Maguire header, but ultimately fell short.
To rub salt in the wound, the goalscorer of the first and supplier of the second, Angelino, is currently on loan in Germany from Manchester City.
His superb low shot into the far corner after just two minutes was followed soon after by a chipped cross to the back post, where Amadou Haidara ghosted in to volley past David de Gea.
It could have been even worse, with the home side seeing a third goal ruled out for offside against Willi Orban on the half-hour.
United were better in the second half and struck the crossbar through a Fernandes free-kick but shortly after substitute Justin Kluivert chipped in following some shoddy defensive play from Maguire and De Gea.
Fernandes’ penalty – awarded for a foul on Mason Greenwood by Ibrahima Konate – gave them a slim chance, which Maguire made real by diverting Paul Pogba’s back-post header into the net, but the Germans held on.
Pogba had started on the bench and came on with 30 minutes to go, a day after his agent Mino Raiola declared that the midfielder was “unhappy” at the club and “has to leave” in the next transfer window.
It is small solace for United that they now drop into the Europa League – a competition they won in 2017.
RB Leipzig advance to the Champions League last 16 having reached the last four in 2019-20.
Whether they do so as group winners or runners-up depends on the result between Paris St-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir in a game that was suspended on Tuesday after a match official was accused of using a racist term towards one of the Turkish side’s backroom staff.
More to follow.
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RB Leipzig
Squad number1Player nameGulácsi
Squad number22Player nameMukiele
Squad number6Player nameKonaté
Squad number4Player nameOrban
Squad number8Player nameHaidara
Squad number7Player nameSabitzer
Squad number44Player nameKampl
Squad number3Player nameAngelino
Squad number10Player nameForsberg
Squad number18Player nameNkunku
Squad number25Player nameOlmo
Squad number9Player namePoulsen
Squad number14Player nameAdams
Squad number21Player nameKluivert
Squad number23Player nameHalstenberg
Line-ups
RB Leipzig
- 1Gulácsi
- 22MukieleBooked at 32mins
- 6Konaté
- 4Orban
- 8Haidara
- 7SabitzerBooked at 35mins
- 44KamplSubstituted forAdamsat 75′minutesBooked at 81mins
- 3AngelinoSubstituted forHalstenbergat 87′minutes
- 10ForsbergSubstituted forPoulsenat 56′minutes
- 18Nkunku
- 25OlmoSubstituted forKluivertat 56′minutesBooked at 62mins
Substitutes
- 9Poulsen
- 13Tschauner
- 14Adams
- 19Sørloth
- 21Kluivert
- 23Halstenberg
- 33Martínez
- 45Martel
- 47Wosz
Man Utd
- 1de Gea
- 2LindelöfBooked at 77minsSubstituted forTuanzebeat 78′minutes
- 5MaguireBooked at 62mins
- 23ShawBooked at 43minsSubstituted forWilliamsat 61′minutesBooked at 68mins
- 29Wan-BissakaSubstituted forFosu-Mensahat 77′minutes
- 39McTominay
- 31MaticSubstituted forPogbaat 61′minutes
- 27TellesSubstituted forvan de Beekat 45′minutes
- 18Bruno FernandesBooked at 5mins
- 10Rashford
- 11Greenwood
Substitutes
- 3Bailly
- 6Pogba
- 8Mata
- 13Grant
- 14Lingard
- 21James
- 24Fosu-Mensah
- 25Ighalo
- 26Henderson
- 33Williams
- 34van de Beek
- 38Tuanzebe
- Referee:
- Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz
Live Text
Match ends, RB Leipzig 3, Manchester United 2.
Second Half ends, RB Leipzig 3, Manchester United 2.
Offside, RB Leipzig. Willi Orban tries a through ball, but Yussuf Poulsen is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Paul Pogba.
Attempt missed. Scott McTominay (Manchester United) left footed shot from the left side of the box is too high. Assisted by Marcus Rashford.
Substitution, RB Leipzig. Marcel Halstenberg replaces Angeliño.
Offside, RB Leipzig. Christopher Nkunku tries a through ball, but Justin Kluivert is caught offside.
Offside, RB Leipzig. Angeliño tries a through ball, but Justin Kluivert is caught offside.
Corner, RB Leipzig. Conceded by Paul Pogba.
Goal! RB Leipzig 3, Manchester United 2. Paul Pogba (Manchester United) header from the right side of the six yard box to the top right corner. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Nordi Mukiele.
Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig).
Goal! RB Leipzig 3, Manchester United 1. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty Manchester United. Mason Greenwood draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Ibrahima Konaté (RB Leipzig) after a foul in the penalty area.
Substitution, Manchester United. Axel Tuanzebe replaces Victor Lindelöf.
Substitution, Manchester United. Timothy Fosu-Mensah replaces Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Victor Lindelöf (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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