Manchester United’s Women’s Champions League journey ended in Germany as Bayern Munich struck with two late goals to propel themselves into the semi-finals, despite a spirited display from the English side.
Marc Skinner’s team led on the night for 70 minutes after Melvine Malard’s opener but Bayern built up a heavy spell of pressure in the second half and eventually found a way through United’s dogged resistance, as Glódís Viggósdóttir’s header from a corner and Linda Dallmann’s sweetly struck half-volley gave the runawayBundesliga leaders a 5-3 aggregate victory.
Trailing 3-2 from last week’s first leg at Old Trafford, United always faced an uphill task but they gave themselves hope with one of their best performance in recent weeks, but Bayern, backed by a vibrant 25,000-strong crowd, never trailed on aggregate across the entire tie and there was an air of inevitability about their late breakthrough. Barcelona almost certainly await them in the last four, as they lead Real Madrid 6-2 on aggregate before Thursday’s second leg in Catalonia.
After Saturday’s disappointing display in a 3-0 loss to Manchester City, and specifically how low on energy and intensity the United players looked for large parts of that game, the travelling fans will have likely arrived in Munich with low expectations. Their squad is shallow, amid injuries to senior players including Ella Toone, Dominique Janssen and the striker Elisabeth Terland. They will have been pleasantly surprised, then, to see their team produce an exceptional first-half display full of belief, energy and bravery in attack.
Hinata Miyazawa’s bright run down the right flank in the early stages fed Malard, whose first-time shot forced Ena Mahmutovic into a sharp save at her near post, in a spell of dominance for the confident away side. Later in the first half, Malard would test Mahmutovic again, this time with a well-struck, bouncing effort from just outside the area, but by then she had already opened the scoring.
The striker gratefully capitalised on a mistake from Mahmutovic who got in the way of Vanessa Gilles when trying to clear and the ball rolled into Malard’s path for her to turn the ball home.
The away side continued to threaten, with Fridolina Rolfö and Jess Park in good form, and Park’s cross almost dropped in at the back post. At the other end, Millie Turner’s blocks, a Gilles header wide from a corner and a tame header wide from Pernille Harder ensured that United reached the break with the aggregate score level at 3-3.
United sat much deeper in the second half, though, and Bayern forced corner after corner, with two unsuccessful penalty appeals for handball, before their captain headed in and the stadium roared with relief.
United’s elimination leaves them needing to finish in the Women’s Super League’s top three to qualify for this competition next season, which looks like a very tricky task. They are fourth and have difficult away games to come against Tottenham and Chelsea.
