Lacklustre Manchester United Fall In Wcl Qualifying First-leg Defeat At Brann

Manchester United’s hopes of being progressive successful nan main tie of nan Women’s Champions League for nan first clip are hanging successful nan equilibrium aft a disappointing first-leg nonaccomplishment distant successful Norway successful nan 3rd qualifying round.

Some mediocre defending astatine a Brann free-kick allowed Ingrid Stenevik to caput successful nan game’s only goal, pinch 14 minutes remaining. The 2nd limb is Leigh Sports Village adjacent Thursday.

United must overturn that shortage if they are to subordinate Chelsea and nan ­holders Arsenal successful nan caller convention shape of nan title this autumn.

The conclusion capped disconnected an already unusual travel to Bergen for United, who were near scrambling aft immoderate of nan players’ boots went missing successful ­transit. The whereabouts of nan missing boots – first reported by Reuters – are understood to stay a mystery, but the nine managed to quickly root replacements successful clip for nan match.

A Manchester United root said: “A container containing immoderate of our ­players’ boots went missing during nan travel to Bergen. We are investigating really this happened. In nan meantime, we person secured caller boots for each nan affected players, and they are fresh to ­participate successful tonight’s crippled arsenic normal.”

Even if that alternatively funny ­incident had not made nan pursuing gag alternatively tempting, it would already person been adjacent to measure this lucifer by stating that United had near their shooting boots astatine home.

They created chance aft chance but simply could not find a measurement past an inspired Selma Panengstuen successful nan Brann goal. Quite really United did not people astatine slightest 2 aliases 3 goals will surely beryllium beyond them.

Manchester United respond to different missed chance successful their Champions League qualifier successful Norway against Brann. Photograph: Paul S Amundsen/EPA

The early stages of nan first half had included Elisabeth Terland heading wide from an Anna Sandberg transverse and a Terland changeable deflected disconnected target, earlier United started to spell really close.

After a bully tally from their deadline-day signing from Manchester City, Jess Park, a lively Ella Toone had a deflected changeable superbly saved. Terland headed complete from a testing Toone transverse and nan England ­midfielder past went adjacent herself.

Brann were backed by a nationalist grounds crowd for a women’s fixture successful Norway of 16,019 and they were connected their feet erstwhile Panengstuen saved good again, this clip from Dominique Janssen, successful nan 2nd half, aft beardown activity down nan near from Melvine Malard.

Against nan tally of play, Brann past punished United erstwhile Signe Gaupset’s inswinging, left-wing free-kick was met successful nan mediate by ­Stenevik, who was allowed to get successful betwixt Lisa Naalsund and Terland to caput past Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

It was a uncommon onslaught from nan location broadside and nan first extremity United person conceded successful their 4 games successful each competitions this season, aft 3 erstwhile wins retired of three.

They had eliminated PSV and Hammarby successful nan erstwhile shape of nan qualifying process, during a mini‑tournament staged successful Stockholm.

Brann are managed by nan erstwhile Crystal Palace coach Leif Smerud, who replaced nan caller Tottenham caput coach, Martin Ho – formerly of Manchester United’s backroom team – erstwhile Ho near Brann this summer.

Smerud was successful complaint of Crystal Palace during nan 2nd half of past term. His caller squad are 4 points clear astatine nan apical of nan Toppserien, nan highest section successful Norway, and they celebrated this triumph connected a celebrated nighttime successful their history.

They were quarter-finalists 2 seasons agone but this triumph is 1 of their finest achievements successful continental football. For United it was an exasperating nighttime of vexation that leaves them pinch a batch of activity to do adjacent week.