FERNANDES SPOT ON TO SEAL SEMI SPOT FOR UNITED
Sweat but United make the last four
BRUNO Fernandes’ extra-time penalty secured a Europa League semi-final slot for Manchester United after they were made to sweat by Copenhagen here in Cologne.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men had huffed and puffed in their attempts to break down the Danes in sweltering conditions before a foul on Anthony Martial finally earned them a 95th-minute breakthrough.
Fernandes duly smashed home the club’s 21st spot-kick of the season.
They should have then added to their lead only for keeper KarlJohan Johnsson to make a string of wonderful saves having already kept United at bay for much of the evening in a remarkable personal performance.
It wasn’t meant to be as hard work as this for United.
Copenhagen were meant to be one of the easier obstacles to clear en route to a meeting with either Wolves or Sevilla back here at the RheinEnergie Stadion on Sunday.
Yes, United hit the woodwork several times here and had two goals disallowed. But they also had to rely on some desperate last-ditch defending as the game remained goalless and headed into extra time.
Having made changes in both games against LASK in the last 16, Solskjaer reverted to a stronger line-up with Sergio Romero, Eric Bailly and Fred the only players who would not usually appear in his current first XI.
But this was a significantly bigger occasion for Copenhagen, playing in their first-ever European quarter-final, and the piercing screech from their coach Stale Solbakken echoed around the place far more than that of his old Norway team-mate Solskjaer as he urged Paul Pogba to get on the ball throughout a ragged first half for United.
It was a story of overhit passes in attack and uncertainty at the back. Copenhagen visibly grew in confidence as they realised United were having an off-night.
Bailly had already got a vital touch to block Mohamed Daramy’s goalbound effort when the Danes came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 18th minute.
Fred’s hurried clearance was intercepted and suddenly Daramy was through on goal.
Bailly tried to get back and stop him but was left on his backside by a wonderful turn, and it needed Harry Maguire’s lunging interception to stop Copenhagen’s young No 11 from putting them ahead.
The danger still wasn’t cleared and Pogba had to make another vital block in the following melee.
United struggled to click into gear going forward and Fernandes’ free-kick, fired well over the bar after Jens Stage had fouled Mason Greenwood, rather summed up their performance.
United thought they had a penalty in the 24th minute when Clement Turpin pointed to the spot after goalkeeper Johnsson had tipped Martial’s header against the bar, but the VAR gave offside against Maguire instead.
And there was more frustration at the end of the first half when Greenwood broke through to score off the far post, but another VAR check showed the teenager was offside when he received the ball from Marcus Rashford.
United had the ball in the net again soon after the restart, Greenwood’s shot this time coming back off the post with Johnsson beaten and Rashford knew he was also offside when he turned the loose ball into the net.
The woodwork also denied Fernandes, who finally found his range with a 25-yarder that rattled the far post.
But Copenhagen reminded United of the threat they still posed when danger man Rasmus Falk bamboozled Brandon Williams and Fred with a sublime turn to get in behind and the ball was moved wide for former Everton man Bryan Oviedo, who seemed certain to score, only for Aaron Wan-Bissaka to make another great block.
Falk had a hopeful penalty appeal turned down when he went to ground under Williams’ challenge and Johnsson made an excellent save from Martial as extra-time loomed.
Both sides looked exhausted at the prospect of 30 more minutes to play, but Fernandes would book Solskjaer’s men their place in the semis.
MAN UTD (4-2-3-1): Romero; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly (Lindelof 71min), Maguire, Williams; Pogba, Fred (Matic 70); Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial. Subs not used: De Gea, Mata, Lingard, Pereira, James, Fosu-Mensah, Ighalo, McTominay, Chong, Mengi. Booked: Maguire, Bailly. FC COPENHAGEN (4-3-3): Johnsson; Varela, Nelsson, Bjelland, Boilesen (Bengtsson 15); Biel (Oviedo 58), Stage, Zeca; Daramy (Kaufmann 57), Wind, Falk.
Subs not used: Andersen, Papagiannopoulos, Grytebust, Bartolec, Mudrazija, Boving Vick, Hjaelmhof. Booked: Stage, Kaufmann. Man of the match: Falk. Referee: Clement Turpin.