United receive a kick in Basel
MANCHESTER United will have to wait to secure their place in the Champions League knockout phase as Michael Lang’s late strike secured Basel a memorable, and deserved, victory.
Jose Mourinho’s men started Group A with four successive victories and could have qualified without even kicking a ball had CSKA Moscow failed to beat Benfica in the early kick-off.
It still appears a case of when rather if United reach the last-16, but Basel’s 1-0 win means progress is not yet completely certain ahead of the Russians’ visit to Old Trafford next month.
Marouane Fellaini had a header cleared off the line and Anthony Martial’s cross hit the post, with Marcos Rojo seeing an outrageous long-range effort deflected onto the bar on his return from a cruciate ligament injury after 216 days out.
Paul Pogba, captaining the side for just the second time, was forced off with a hamstring injury when the sides met in September and was looking to follow-up his man-of-the-match return against Newcastle with another telling contribution.
The Frenchman’s close control was impressive on the ropy St Jakob-Park pitch and his outstanding no-look through ball almost led to a 12th-minute opener, only for Romelu Lukaku to be denied by Tomas Vaclik.
Martial sent in a sublime cross that hit the post after Fellaini failed to make a telling touch and moments later the Frenchman was racing through on goal to force Vaclik into a save.
There was nothing the Basel goalkeeper could do when Rojo took aim from distance, though. The returning defender’s audacious long-range attempt rattled the crossbar thanks to Marek Suchy’s intervention.
The visitors dominated the opening period but tailed off after the break as Lang hit the woodwork, with United’s defence eventually buckling in the 89th minute as Raoul Petretta’s cross was turned home by Lang.