rewrite this title ´A fantastic opportunity to move forward´ – Skinner upbeat despite Man Utd first-leg loss – Soccer News

Marc Skinner remained upbeat despite Manchester United’s defeat to Bayern Munich, insisting they have a “fantastic opportunity to move forward” in the Women’s Champions League.

United had twice fought back to level with Bayern, but Momoko Tanikawa secured a 3-2 victory for the visitors in the quarter-final first leg.

Pernille Harder had twice put Bayern in front – including an opening goal within the first two minutes – but a Maya Le Tissier penalty and a header from Hanna Lundkvist kept United in the tie.

United had nine shots, fewer than Bayern’s 12, and accumulated just 1.2 expected goals (xG), but matched their opponents’ four attempts on target.

For large parts of the game, there was little to split the sides, and though Skinner was disappointed with United’s defending for Bayern’s first two goals, he is optimistic ahead of next week’s trip to Munich.

“The two goals from Harder are not good enough from our perspective, which we will fix as a team,” he told Disney+.

“The encouraging thing is that this tie is still alive. Bayern haven’t played like that, it’s super direct from them, they are normally possession-based, and they have changed style, and they have got their reward for it.

“I’m frustrated with the goals that we conceded because they are pretty poor, but it is something really easily fixed going into the next leg, where we know the threats that they have got now.

“There are loads [of positives to take]. The quality in possession was really good until the final decision. We should have built around them quicker. We should have used the sides quicker, that is where we had our joy. We weren’t clean enough in that, and we kept keeping the play more central.

“What I liked was that we broke the lines, we just need to be a bit more incisive with the pass. I said to the girls at half-time that they are here for a reason, so make sure we get our rewards in those moments with the finishes.

“I felt we could have created more goalscoring threat. Now we know what we are playing against, and we go into the next leg with a fantastic opportunity to move forward.”

Bayern earned their first win on English soil, having lost each of the previous four before the match at Old Trafford.

It was also their first knockout-stage win on the road since the 2020-21 quarter-finals vs Rosengard, having lost three of the four that followed (D1).

Harder proved a real thorn in United’s side, and had a game-high four shots worth 1.0 xG, while also creating two chances for her team-mates.

“To score two goals at Old Trafford, it’s a dream come true,” she told Disney+. “I think United did good, and made it difficult for us, but we exploited the space they gave us behind the backline.

“I knew they want to attack, and I was able to run deep. It was quite a shock that I was so free. I knew they were high with the backline, and they were not deep, so it was good timing with the pass and the run.”