If Manchester United is to advance to the Champions League knockout stages this year, they have a lot of work ahead of them.
Bruno Fernandes acknowledges that following Wednesday night’s “disappointing” loss to Copenhagen, the atmosphere in the Manchester United locker room “is not the best.” United, who lost 4-3 in Denmark after twice letting a lead slip, is currently bottom of Group A with just three points from four games.
Erik ten Hag’s side had started the match well after two well-taken goals by Rasmus Hojlund against his former club, but the game turned on its head when Marcus Rashford was shown a controversial red card following a VAR check.
Copenhagen scored twice in two minutes to level before the break, but United responded well after it and regained the lead when Bruno Fernandes fired in an emphatic penalty. Lukas Lerager levelled things for the hosts seven minutes from time, before substitute Roony Bardghji netted a dramatic winner to add more misery to United’s campaign.
Speaking after the match, club captain Fernandes was asked to give an insight into how the players had reacted to such a gut-wrenching defeat.
“Disappointment,” he told MUTV of the dressing room mood. “I think for everything we did in the game, we could and should have gotten something. It is difficult at the moment, obviously, and the mood is not the best because I think we fought so hard with ten men that even from then on it was playing against a team that plays really well on the ball, and as a part of that, many decisions went against us.
“Today was a tough day but I think the team effort was good. We tried. We could have done some things better, but it was difficult for us from thirty minutes on, playing with one player less.”
Even after the loss, Fernandes maintains that United has not given up on making it to the Champions League knockout stages. “We had the belief, even before this game, that we would win the final three group stage games. And we have to. We have to win them. If we want to stay in the Champions League and stay in the best competition, we have to win against the best,” he continued.
“We have a really tough game away against Galatasaray and after we play against the top of the group. We want to win both, but now we have to focus on Luton, because it is going to be a tough game again. We need three points in the league and we need to get back to the winning track after this defeat.”
