FERNANDEZ NETS WINNER FOR RED DEVIL
As Manchester United huff and puff before overcoming stubborn Johnsson under Copenhagen's bar; Milan make the cut
Manchester United were made to sweat in more ways than one here on Monday, as Copenhagen and Karl-Johan Johnsson kept them at bay before Bruno Fernandes' extra-time penalty finally settled a UEFA Europa League quarter-final.
Copenhagen began brightly, and former Danish international Morten, Bruno would not have been alone when he pondered on 20 minutes: "Are United playing in white or red?" Yet slowly but surely the answer became obvious as the English favourites gained a stranglehold on the game.
Just before the break the pressure looked to have told as Mason Greenwood found the net, only for the goal to be disallowed after a VAR check. A theme of United disappointment emerged. Ole Gunnar Solskjær's men spent much of the second period camped in the Copenhagen half but time and again the attacking fires failed to spark. When they did, Johnsson was invariably in the way.
United carried a threat, speculative efforts from Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes both came back off the post, but so long as it remained 0-0 and Rasmus Falk lurked, so did their Danish opponents. Bruno Fernandes's spot kick five minutes into extra time, following a foul on Anthony Martial, brought joy and relief.
It took United a while to get going, but Solskjær’s team deserve their place in the semi-finals on the balance of play. Indeed, the Red Devils could have won by a far greater margin were it not for the heroics of Johnsson, whose stunning saves kept Copenhagen in the game until the very end.
On the other hand, one can't say it's unfair that United are heading to the semi-finals, but Copenhagen definitely died with their boots on. Ståle Solbakken and his staff will be satisfied with the performance even if they fell short of the miracle. The performances of Falk, defender Victor Nelsson and especially Johnsson were more or less flawless.
United will face Wolves or Sevilla in the semi-finals on Sunday 16 August in Cologne, with the final at the same venue five days later.
Sevilla, who have lifted the Europa League trophy a record five times, face Wolves in Duisburg on Tuesday while 2009 winners Shakhtar Donetsk take on FC Basel in Gelsenkirchen.
Inter Milan also booked a semi-final berth by beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in Monday's other tie as the mini-tournament played across Germany on a one-off knockout basis got underway.
Copenhagen dominated the opening half and missed several chances, with United's defence looking all at sea in the opening 20 minutes as they made several desperate clearances to deny Mohamed Daramy and Jonas Wind.