The next live Champions League match on RTÉ Two and RTÉ.ie is the eagerly awaited Group F clash between Celtic and Manchester United on Tuesday, 21 November.
Matchday Four was a disaster for Manchester United as they dropped their first points of the campaign with their first defeat in Group F. They should still qualify for the last 16 but they could have joined Liverpool and Chelsea in the knockout round had they been able to put any sort of a performance together. It was a chance missed against a weak team and they will now have to wait a little longer to qualify for the knockout round.
Even though United were missing Giggs, Neville and Saha, FC Copenhagen should have been put away in the first 20 minutes. They have few top notch players with the likes of Linderoth, Allback and Christiansen the better of their first eleven – those three players failed to make any sort of impact during their brief stints in British football. Before Wednesday night, the Danes had just one point to show from their three matches and that was a scoreless draw against Benfica at home. They had been well beaten in their other two group matches away to Celtic and United.
Manchester United were expected to win and win well after their 100% start to the group but United were below par on the night. In fairness to both teams, the pitch was poor and that proved to be a leveller for the Danish SuperLiga leaders. They have had problems with the surface at the Parken Stadium for years but a Bruce Springsteen concert last weekend certainly did not help either team, but particularly Manchester United.
There was surprise with Alex Ferguson's team selection. He left Paul Scholes on the bench and played John O'Shea alongside Michael Carrick in midfield, with Mikael Silvestre returning alongside Nemanja Vidic at the centre of the defence. This was not the strongest available team for the manager but United had so totally dominated the initial match at Old Trafford, it appeared that they would have enough to beat Copenhagen again.
The first half was poor; Manchester United had a couple of Wayne Rooney chances but Christiansen saved the first and the other went wide. Copenhagen created little but Hutchinson and Allback did cause a few problems, although Van Der Saar had little to do.
The second half was more of the same with United lifeless and badly missing Scholes. Copenhagen needed to win to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying but it was hard to see where a goal would come from. They did look threatening from set-plays with centre backs Gravgaard and Hangleland causing problems when they came forward. They shocked the 1999 champions when they took the lead after 73 minutes. The United rearguard fell asleep on a corner and Marcus Allback was able to scramble the ball home. It was the simplest finish of his career but would have been one of the sweetest ever for the Swede, who had been such a disappointment during his spell at Aston Villa. It was also their first ever goal in the Champions League.
Manchester United would not have taken a point with 20 minutes to go but once they fell behind they had to go chasing the match and that is when Ferguson introduced Scholes. The midfielder has been in great form this season and has formed a useful partnership with Michael Carrick. The pace of the United play lifted but despite a lot of effort they could not get the equaliser and the Danes hung on. Ronaldo had a goal disallowed for offside and lost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a hamstring injury. That must be a real concern for United after all the problems the Norwegian has had with injury over the last two years.
United had been poor in their last away match in the group at Benfica, yet still won in Lisbon. They did not get lucky again as their level of performance slipped way below what it had been at Bolton at the weekend. You left the ground thinking that the likes of Chelsea would have come to the Parken Stadium and won well. They would have ridden out the expected early pressure and taken their chances with the points secured before half-time. Of course, we will never know about that but United did not play to their potential and paid the ultimate price against a side who were staring elimination in the face. In years gone by, Manchester United used to cruise through these types of matches. They would go away from home and put away inferior opponents but they were not able to do that in Denmark.
The match had been billed as the biggest in the 14-year history of FC Copenhagen and it was their most famous victory against one of the big European sides. They are now back in the mix for qualification, just like Benfica, who easily beat Celtic 3-0 at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon. Celtic play host to Manchester United in the next round and what a game that has now become. Celtic have never made it out of the group stages of the Champions League, while United now need something from the encounter. The doubts will return to the minds of the Celtic players after their hammering in Lisbon. It was a very surprising scoreline when you consider how easily Celtic won the first game (3-0).
The results from Matchday Four have opened up the group but it seemed far from open at the halfway stage. United had maximum points and led Celtic by three with Copenhagen and Benfica well behind after their draw on the opening evening. United are still in pole position but the trip to Parkhead has taken on a whole new level of significance after last night.
United badly missed Giggs and Saha in attack and perhaps Ferguson should have started with his strongest available team instead of resting Scholes and Ferdinand. Once the match is won, Ferguson could have taken off some of his bigger stars to give them a rest, not the other way around.
It is easy to suggest in hindsight, but United paid dearly for their strategy and now all four teams are in the hunt for qualification. United are in Glasgow next and what a night that will be on Tuesday, 21 November.
Watch Celtic v Manchester United live on RTÉ Two and RTÉ.ie.
