Manchester United crash out with defeat in Wolfsburg on crazy night
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ByEurosport
Updated 09/12/2015 at 08:36 GMT
Champions League, Group B – Wolfsburg 3 (Naldo13, 84, Vieirinha 29) Manchester United 2 (A. Martial10'J. Guilavogui82' (o.g.))
Manchester United players look dejected after Naldo scored the third goal for Wolfsburg
Image credit: Reuters
Manchester United bowed out of the Champions League following a 3-2 defeat at Wolfsburg on an action-packed night in Group B.
United still would have progressed if PSV failed to get a result against CSKA Moscow, but the Dutch side staged a late fightback to win 2-1 and secure a spot in the knockout round.
Anthony Martial opened the scoring after ten minutes but Naldo equalised just three minutes later.
Wolfsburg took the lead on the half-hour with a marvellous team goal and display of pinpoint passing, finished off by Vieirinha.
United thought they were heading in at the break level after Juan Mata strained to connect with Jesse Lingard's ball in, but the offside flag ruled it out.
Then they thought they'd done enough to progress to the next stage of the Champions League when Josuha Guilavogui deflected Marouane Fellaini's effort into his own net.
But then two minutes later Naldo scored his second of the night, sending United out - and into the Europa League.
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Manchester United players look dejected after Naldo scored the third goal for Wolfsburg
Image credit: Reuters
In the other match in the group, PSV Eindhoven recovered to beat CSKA Moscow 2-1 and secure a place in the Champions League last 16 after a late winner from midfielder Davy Propper.
KEY MOMENTS
10' GOAL! Well, excellently taken there by Anthony Martial, using his pace to skip through a rather flat back line and on to a through-ball from Mata.
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Manchester United's French striker Anthony Martial reacts after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League Group B second-leg football match VfL Wolfsburg vs Manchester United in Wolfsburg, central Germany, on December 8, 2015
Image credit: AFP
13' GOAL! Not a bad response! Great ball in from Rodriguez, swung in from a free kick, and it bounces through the box to reach the shin of Naldo.
29' GOAL! What a FANTASTIC goal. Gorgeous passing. That switch to the right flank, Draxler played a beautiful one-two with Kruse, and then opted to square it to Vieirinha, so unselfishly, who finished it off.
45' NO GOAL! Cameron Borthwick-Jackson worked so hard to win the ball there for Lingard, enabling Mata to slot home, but the flag eventually goes up and it's disallowed.
82' GOAL! AN OWN GOAL! Guilavogui gets a touch after Fellaini's header in from a corner swung in beautifully by Blind.
84' GOAL! Can't even keep up with this, my poor little fingers are confused. Up the other end and it's another corner, powered in by Naldo and it pinballs around off a trio of United defenders and into the net.
KEY STATISTICS
Manchester United had only lost once in their previous six visits to Germany in the Champions League group stages (W3 D2); scoring eight goals over their most recent two visits.
Wolfsburg have won all three of their home Champions League matches this term, keeping clean sheets in the first two of those games.
Manchester Utd have won only one of their last ten away games in the Champions League (5-0 v Leverkusen, November 2013), drawing four and losing five.
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Wolfsburg's Naldo celebrates with fans at the end of the match
Image credit: Reuters
TALKING POINT
Was it offside? Manchester United were livid before half-time, thinking that they had equalised before the linesman's flag was raised - after the referee had signalled the goal. Certainly starting the second half with parity might have made a difference. Or perhaps not.
RATINGS
Wolfsburg: Benaglio 8, Trasch 7, Naldo 8, Dante 7, Rodriguez 6, Arnold 7, Guilavogui 7, Vieirinha 7, Kruse 7, Draxler 8, Schuerrle 7. Subs: Casteels, Bendtner, Schaefer 7, Klose 7, Caligiuri, Dost, Jung.
Manchester United: De Gea 7, Varela 7, Smalling 7, Blind 6, Darmian 6, Fellaini 6, Schweinsteiger 6, Lingard 7, Mata 6, Memphis 7, Martial 7. Subs: Romero, Borthwick-Jackson 7, McNair, Carrick 6, Pereira, Young, Powell 6.
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