midfielder Bruno Fernandes reacts during the UEFA Champions League
football match group H, between Istanbul Basaksehir FK and
Manchester United, on November 4, 2020, at the Basaksehir Fatih
Terim stadium in Istanbul. OZAN KOSE / AFP
Manchester United suffered an unexpected Champions
League setback on Wednesday as they lost 2-1 to Istanbul Basaksehir
in Turkey.
Goals from Demba Ba and Edin Visca gave the Turkish side their
first win in the competition, with Anthony Martial scoring for
United who had won their opening two games in Group H against Paris
Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig.
– Defensive chaos –
United started the game in the comfort zone, with no sign of the
defensive chaos to come in front of a small but vocal crowd.
Luke Shaw fizzed a ball past the far post with his left foot but
United, with Marcus Rashford and Martial up front, lacked
penetration.
The home side were ahead in the 12th minute after inexplicably
poor awareness and organisation allowed unmarshalled ex-Chelsea
forward Ba to collect a long ball and race from the halfway line to
score, trailed helplessly by Nemanja Matic.
Axel Tuanzebe, who impressed in Paris, had a heart-stopping
moment after he pulled Ba back but escaped with a yellow card.
Basaksehir remained threatening on the break, with United
worryingly open at the back, and the visitors were caught napping
again five minutes before half time.
Deniz Turuc robbed Juan Mata of possession down the left and
raced forward, sending over a cross that Ba stepped over and Visca
smashed past Dean Henderson, making his Champions League debut in
place of David de Gea.
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United crucially reduced the deficit in the 43rd minute when
Martial steered a Shaw cross home with his head.
Solskjaer hooked off Tuanzebe at the interval, with Scott
McTominay coming on and Matic dropping back to play at centre-back
alongside Harry Maguire.
United once more enjoyed territorial advantage at the start of
the second half and Bruno Fernandes had a free-kick pushed
away.
Solskjaer threw on Edinson Cavani and Paul Pogba in place of
Mata and Donny van de Beek to add impetus to the attack but
ponderous United struggled to create clear chances.
Mason Greenwood came on for Rashford as United continued to
search for a way through.
They went agonisingly close to an equaliser in stoppage time
when Alexandru Epureanu hacked off the line but they could not
rescue a point in the Group H tie.
United appeared to have turned the corner after their 6-1
mauling by Tottenham last month but they have now suffered
consecutive defeats to Arsenal and Basaksehir.
“They (two losses) have set us back a lot,” said Solskjaer,
whose team travel to Everton on Saturday. “You get a reality check
every time you play a game of football.”