Man Utd Face Uphill Battle After First-Leg Defeat to Brann in champions League Qualifying
BERGEN, Norway – Manchester United’s hopes of reaching the Women’s Champions League group stage were dented following a 1-0 defeat to Brann in the first leg of their third-round qualifying tie on Thursday. A 76th-minute header from Ingrid Stenevik handed the Norwegian side a narrow advantage,leaving Marc Skinner’s team needing to win the return leg at Leigh Sports Village by at least two goals to progress to the league phase.
United dominated possession and created numerous chances,but were repeatedly thwarted by Brann goalkeeper Selma panengstuen. Ella Toone twice tested Panengstuen in the first half, while Elisabeth Terland missed two headed opportunities. After the break, Panengstuen denied Dominique Janssen and Melvine Malard with a double save before Stenevik broke the deadlock, heading home Signe Gaupset’s free-kick.
The Red devils pushed for a late equaliser, with Panengstuen again denying Toone, but Brann held firm.
The match was also impacted by logistical issues for United, with a bag of boots going missing en route to Bergen. While the club secured replacements for affected players, a spokesperson confirmed, “In the meantime, we have secured new boots of the right make and sizes for all the affected players, and they are ready to participate in tonight’s game as normal,” according to Reuters.
Should United fail to overcome the first-leg deficit, they will drop into the second qualifying round of the Europa cup. Skinner’s side returns to domestic action on Sunday against London City Lionesses, following a 4-0 victory over Leicester City in their Women’s Super League opener last weekend.
