Man United out of Europe with loss to Bayern
Manchester United‘s slim chance of a Champions League round-of-16 spot ended with a 1-0 defeat by group winners Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday, piling more misery on Erik ten Hag’s beleaguered team in an already rocky season.
The three-time European champions needed to beat Bayern in their group stage finale Tuesday and hope for FC Copenhagen‘s game against visiting Galatasaray to end in a draw.
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Neither happened as French forward Kingsley Coman slotted home from close range in the 70th minute for Bayern, who finished unbeaten in Group A with 16 points and had their jubilant visiting fans singing “Football’s Coming Home” in the final seconds.
“We didn’t make it, we have to accept and learn from it,” Dutchman Ten Hag told TNT Sports.
“We made mistakes. Today the performance was very good. We didn’t deserve to lose but we lost the game.
“In the end, it’s not good enough.”
United have just four points, and their fourth-place finish means they won’t even get a Europa League playoff berth as consolation. Boos rang out as the final whistle sounded.
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Copenhagen won 1-0 in Denmark to finish with eight points and reach the Champions League knockout round, while Galatasaray took the Europa League playoff spot in third with five points.
United won only one of their six group games, with their hopes of advancing hanging by a thread after they twice gave up a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw at Galatasaray on Nov. 29.
Bayern, who beat United 4-3 in their previous meeting in Munich, had already secured the top spot in the group.
Coman scored with ease when he drifted into space in United’s penalty area and no United defender picked him up, leaving Harry Kane to find him with a flicked pass that the Bayern winger fired past goalkeeper André Onana.
“It was nice,” Kane told TNT Sports. “I felt like we controlled the game and had the better chances. We were calm and we knew in the quick transitions we could hurt them.
“It is always tough when you are top and through already but we had a good motivation. It was nice to get the win today. We have enough ability to go far in this competition. That is the ambition, to go and win the Champions League.”
United’s 15 goals conceded were the most by any English team in this year’s group stage.
It was the club’s sixth time of going out at the group stage and first since 2020-21, only the second time they have finished bottom in their group after the 2005-06 campaign.
Ten Hag’s struggling team have 12 defeats in 24 games in all competitions this season, losing 3-0 to lowly Bournemouth on Saturday to sit sixth in the Premier League.
Asked if he would look back on the team’s Champions League campaign with regret, Ten Hag said: “Not with regret. We didn’t make it, but we have to accept it. We have to learn from it.
“We played some good football in the Champions League. We have to take some good performance into the Premier League.”
United had numerous chances, including a couple from Bruno Fernandes early in the second half. The United captain launched one well over the bar from the edge of the box and the second just wide of the post, grimacing in frustration after both.
United also lost central defender Harry Maguire to a groin injury in the 40th minute on a miserable night for the club.