Manchester United needed an extra-time penalty from Bruno Fernandes to scrape into the Europa League semifinals after beating Copenhagen 1-0 yesterday. In sweltering heat, United's young team controlled the lion's share of possession but had a hard time creating clear chances until Andreas Bjelland brought down Anthony Martial in the penalty area. Fernandes blasted the ball past the otherwise excellent goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson to give United the 95th-minute lead. Once again a Europa League game against a team from a smaller league with limited finances was tighter than expected, five days after LASK Linz restricted United to a 2-1 win at Old Trafford. United recorded 14 shots on target while Mason Greenwood and Fernandes hit the woodwork with shots during normal time and earlier video reviews cost United two of its best opportunities to score.

Source: The Standard August 11, 2020 04:07 UTC