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Manchester United hardly put up a fight.
Erik ten Hag’s troubled side said goodbye to European competition after losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
United created precious little in a game it had to win to have any hope of advancing. Having conceded 15 goals in six group-stage matches, the Red Devils ultimately finished last in Group A behind Copenhagen and Galatasaray.
“We didn’t lose it today. That’s clear. We had some good performances. We also made some mistakes, some individual errors from more players, and yet it’s not good enough,” Ten Hag told TNT Sports. “I think today the performance was very good and we didn’t deserve to lose but we lost the game.”
Copenhagen punched their ticket to the knockout round with a 1-0 win over Galatasaray. As a third-place finisher, the Turkish side gets to continue its European adventure in the Europa League.
| W-D-L | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 5-1-0 | 6 | 16 |
| 2 | Copenhagen | 2-2-2 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Galatasaray | 1-2-3 | -3 | 5 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 1-1-4 | -3 | 4 |
It’s the second time in four years United have suffered a Champions League group-stage exit and the second time the club has ever finished dead last in a group.
The defeat is certain to heap more pressure on Ten Hag as he battles reports of a dressing room divide. United also face a daunting trip to Anfield, where first-placed Liverpool await them in the Premier League on Sunday.
United’s Champions League campaign never really took off. After falling 4-3 to Bayern on Matchday 1, the three-time European champions blew separate one-goal leads in an eventual 3-2 loss at home to Galatasaray before coughing up a 2-0 advantage in a 4-3 capitulation away to Copenhagen. United surrendered another 2-0 lead in a 3-3 draw with Galatasaray on Nov. 29.
Entering the final matchday one point behind Copenhagen and Galatasaray – and with injuries to Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, and Mason Mount – United needed a win and their two group opponents to draw to reach the knockout stage. But the team seemed resigned to losing from the opening whistle. It managed just a single shot on target all game and ultimately lost on a goal to Kingsley Coman in the 70th minute.
Making matters worse, defenders Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw exited just before and at half-time with apparent injuries. Maguire, named the Premier League’s player of the month for November, tried to play through a groin injury before signalling for a substitution, while Shaw seemed to favor his hamstring.
United are now 11-1-12 in all competitions this season.
Copenhagen showed much more mettle in their contest, hanging on to win after match-winner Lukas Lerager was sent off in the 90th minute.
The Danish side last played in the Champions League knockout round during the 2010-11 season, when it lost 2-0 on aggregate to Chelsea in the round of 16.