They know a thing or two about fairy tales here in Denmark and for almost 45 minutes last night Rasmus Hojlund could hardly have wished for a better return to his hometown club.
Two goals from the young Dane put Manchester United in total control of this Champions League tie and on course for what looked like a comfortable win in Group A.
If Carlsberg did football games, this was about as good as it could get for United and Hojlund. But this wasn’t a beer advert and it wasn’t Hans Christian Andersen either.
This is Manchester United and it rarely goes according to the script. So when Marcus Rashford was sent off in the 43rd minute for an innocuous looking challenge, the plot began to twist.
FC Copenhagen pulled one goal back and then equalised in 13 minutes added on at the end of the first half, largely due to a medical emergency in the crowd.
Manchester United conceded four times as they lost their Champions League clash against Copenhagen
17-year-old Roony Bardghji came off the bench to score a late winner for the hosts in Denmark
Bruno Fernandes thought he had won the game for United after scoring from the penalty spot in the second half
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This is a United team who are starting to find their feet after a very shaky start to the season. Confidence and resilience are starting to creep back into their game.
In the most difficult circumstances with 10 men against resurgent FC Copenhagen who are much better than their place in the group suggests, they regained the lead through captain Bruno Fernandes’ penalty only.
But on a quite bonkers night here in Denmark, FC Copenhagen struck twice in the dying minutes through skipper Lukas Leragher and substitute Roony Bardghji to leave Ten Hag’s side with a mountain to climb to reach the knockout stages.
Copenhagen’s spirited young coach Jacob Neestrup had warned that the atmosphere at Parken Stadium would be ‘100 times’ more intense than when United snatched victory at Old Trafford a fortnight ago, and the natives did their best to ramp it up with a display of banners before kick-off depicting United’s defeat here in 2006.
‘Your Theatre of Nightmares’ declared one. Given that United’s next game is away to Galatasaray in Istanbul, there could be some competition in that regard.
Erik ten Hag made one change to the team that earned him valuable breathing space by beating Fulham on Saturday lunchtime with Rashford returning from injury at the expense of Antony.
The manager’s decision to continue with Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans in central defence was understandable, but it lasted less that quarter of an hour before an injury to Evans brought Raphael Varane off the bench.
By then United were already a goal to the good and Hojlund would have loved being the scorer. Copenhagen turned him from a midfielder into a striker but he didn’t enjoy the happiest of times here. In fact, he moved on to Sturm Graz just 16 months after making his first-team debut for Copenhagen with three of his 32 appearances coming off the bench.
Marcus Rashford was shown a straight red card in the first half after being deemed to have comitted a dangerous tackle
Diogo Goncalves equalised from the penalty spot for Copenhagen on the stroke of half time
United captain Fernandes couldn’t hide his emotions as his side slumped to defeat
All three of his goals for United before last night had been in the Champions League, and if there was any concern that the £72million striker should have scored more it was tempered by an acceptance that the service to him hasn’t been great.
This one, after three minutes, was put on a plate. Rashford brought down a pass from Bruno Fernandes and clipped the ball to Aaron Wan-Bissaka. He played in Scott McTominay who crossed to Hojlund and he couldn’t miss.
He was in target it again in the 28th minute when Denis Vavro’s poor header allowed Fernandes to send Alejandro Garnacho clear. Goalkeeper Kamil Grabara came out to block from the young winger, but Hojlund was following up and had another tap-in.
We thought the 20-year-old might have had a hat-trick in the 40th minute when he raced through and scuffed a shot inches wide.
Rasmus Hojlund sent United on their way to what looked like a predictable victory after just three minutes
Hojlund added his second goal to double United’s lead on his return to his boyhood club
It was already beginning to unravel for United, however. Play was pulled back to other end of the pitch where VAR official Tomasz Kwiatkowski had spotted Rashford’s challenge on Elias Jelert outside the United box.
Replays did show the United player stepping over the ball and planting his studs onto Jelert’s shin and left ankle, and when referee Donatas Rumsas saw it on the monitor, he agreed. Red card, United down to 10 men.
Diogo Goncalves’ freekick clipped the bar but United’s escape was shortlived. When Peter Ankersen crossed from the right moments later, Goncalves steered the ball back across goal for Mohamed Elyounoussi to score.
Erik ten Hag has now lost three Champions League matches as Man United manager
A ‘Theatre of Nightmares’ tifo was erected in the stands at the Parken Stadium before the match
Ten Hag’s side were wobbling and in the ninth minute of added time, Maguire was penalised as the ball flicked onto his hand off Varane. Onana had rescued United from the penalty spot at Old Trafford but this time Goncalves sent him the wrong way.
We weren’t done yet, though. There was another twist and this time it involved Maguire again. His header struck Lerager on the arm, not that the Copenhagen skipper could do much about it.
Enter Kwiatkowski again, and Rumsas was back to the monitor. Same outcome. Fernandes stepped up and converted from the spot.
That should have been it but then Rasmus Falk crossed to the back post where Lerager beat Diogo Dalot to score from close range in the 82nd minute and Bardghji completed the comeback with a half volley past Onana after Varane gave the ball away. What a night.
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