It was all going to plan before the break. United attacked with vigour and caused all sorts of problems for Bayern in the early stages, looking nothing like the side that went 2-0 down inside the first 20 minutes of their Women’s Super League clash with Manchester City at the weekend. After seeing an earlier effort well saved by Ena Mahmutovic, Malard would give United the advantage their pressure warranted, too, pouncing on an error from the goalkeeper after a simple ball in behind from Jayde Riviere to level the scores on aggregate.
From there, United looked the more likely to score again, too. Malard forced Mahmutovic into another decent stop not long after breaking the deadlock, with Vanessa Gilles then forced to block a shot from Fridolina Rolfo, who had made an enterprising run into the final third.
When the Red Devils came out for the second half, though, they looked like an entirely different team. Sat in a much more defensive shape, the players stood up tall as Bayern threw everything at them, but with there no respite at all on the counter, a Bayern goal felt inevitable. Phallon Tullis-Joyce made a great save to deny Pernille Harder, while Maya Le Tissier and Millie Turner both made good blocks, but wave after wave of attack just kept on coming and, eventually, it would be too much for the visitors to withstand.
Given the number of corners Bayern had put into the United box, the problems they had caused and the fact no one has conceded more headers in the WSL this season than the Red Devils, it was also unsurprising that it was from such a situation that Bayern’s leveller came. Up leaped Glodis Viggosdottir to direct a header beyond Tullis-Joyce, who got a big hand to the effort but couldn’t keep it out. Before United could catch their breath, it was 2-1, with Malard’s great headed clearance on the line rendered obsolete by the rocket that Linda Dallmann sent flying into the roof of the net on the rebound.
It’s been a brilliant run for United. Making their UWCL proper debut after getting through qualifying for the first time, to reach the quarter-finals is by no means an underachievement for a team so much in its infancy in the women’s game. Yet, after taking the lead in this second leg and looking so bright in the first half, it’s hard not to feel like this was one that got away from the Red Devils in a disappointingly defensive second half.
GOAL rates Man Utd’s players from the Allianz Arena…
