The roster of teams in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 is clearer following the conclusion of the matchday four fixtures.
While Real Madrid and Bayern Munich extended their perfect run to secure berths in the knockout phase in style, it wasn’t the same for 10-man Manchester United, who capitulated in Copenhagen, where they lost 4-3.
United lose a two-goal lead amidst Rashford’s dismissal
Manchester United’s season has been full of more downs than ups and they fell to another low on Wednesday away in Copenhagen as they lost 4-3, after taking a 2-0 through Rasmus Hojlund in the first 25 minutes. Marcus Rashford’s fortuitous red card gave the home side a way back into the encounter, which they gleefully took with two quick goals.
Hojlund, yet to score in the Premier League, took his tally to five goals in four UCL matches and he had two other chances to grab his first United hat trick before disaster struck. Though accidental, Rashford’s tackle was a leg-breaking one on Elias Jelert, and Lithuanian referee Donatas Rumsas was sent to the monitor to confirm the foul and the red card.
Mohamed Elyounoussi got the first for FC Copenhagen on 45 minutes, and the second came from the penalty spot after Harry Maguire was penalised for a handball. Andre Onana could not repeat his first-leg heroics as Diogo Goncalves sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to net the equaliser.
United stabilised in the second half and took the lead again in the 69th minute after Lukas Lerager was penalised for a foul after a VAR check. Bruno Fernandes blasted past the goalkeeper to give United a 3-2 lead.
But again, like in the first half, United fell apart in the space of four minutes towards the end of the match. First, Lerager redeemed himself when he stole past Diogo Dalot, who played at left-back, to steer the ball past Onana.
Roony Bardghji, the 17-year-old teenager off the bench, completed the comeback when his volley beat Onana in the 87th to cap a famous victory. It was the Danish side’s first victory in the Champions League in exactly seven years.
Manchester United is in a difficult scenario in Group A, as they currently sit at the bottom of the table with only three points from their first four games. It gets tougher on Matchday 5 as they travel to Istanbul in search of their first-ever away win against Galatasaray.
Where do Erik Ten Hag and his team go from here?
More teams book Round of 16 berths
United’s neighbours and UCL defending champions Manchester City and RB Leipzig set the tone with the first set of tickets on Tuesday after their victories over Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade, respectively.
Now, more teams have joined the duo in the knockout phase of the prestigious club competition
Real Madrid, who have never failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, kept that tradition intact as they extended their perfect run in this campaign with a 3-0 victory over Sporting Branca at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu
With the maximum 12 points from the four matches played, Carlo Ancelotti’s men have sealed their place in the Round of 16.
The game at Santiago Bernabeu started on a nervy note for Madrid as Braga were awarded a penalty that they failed to convert.
After that scare, Brahim Diaz opened the scoring for Real Madrid on the half-hour mark which they held on through the first half
After the halftime break, Real Madrid secured their victory. Vinicius Junior ended a four-match scoreless run to make it 2-0 before setting up Rodrygo for a third a few minutes later.
The result keeps Real Madrid at the top of Group C, five points clear of Napoli, who they take on at the Bernabeu on Matchday 5.
READ ALSO: UCL Roundup: Maguire gifts Man United crucial victory as Arsenal, Real Madrid win away
At the Allianz Arena, Bayern also relied on two quick-fire goals to ease past Galatasaray. After failing to find the back of the net in the first 80 minutes, Harry Kane popped up with two goals in the last six minutes for the Bavarians.
Though the visitors pulled one back, it was not enough to deny Bayern an early qualification for the Round of 16.
Elsewhere, Arsenal moved closer to the knockout stage of the Champions League after beating Sevilla 2-0 at the Emirates. Leandro Trossard opened the scoring midway through the first half before Bukayo Saka doubled the lead with a fantastic 64th-minute finish.
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