Manchester United come back from 0-2 down to beat Roma 3-2 — The Guardian

Manchester United, in Manchester, United Kingdom, beat Italy’s Roma 3-2 in a Champions League match after coming back from two goals down in the first half. Mateus Cunha’s brace proved decisive: he equalised in the 83rd minute and scored the winner in the 86th. As The Guardian reports, Cunha received a second yellow card in the 90th minute for a tackle on Leonardo Balerdi.

Roma’s first-half advantage

The visitors opened the scoring in the 11th minute: Matias Soulé took advantage of a pass from Rodrigo Mora and beat Senne Lammens. In the 17th minute, Roma were awarded a penalty after the ball struck Ayden Heaven’s hand. Donyell Malen converted the spot kick.

In the first half, the Romans had several more opportunities to extend their lead: Mora, Malen and Soulé all came close to scoring. United struggled defensively and created little near Davis Vásquez’s goal.

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Comeback after the break

At the start of the second half, Carlos Baleba left the pitch with a hamstring injury. The hosts later reduced the deficit: Gianluca Mancini fouled Cunha in the penalty area, and Bruno Fernandes scored from the penalty spot at the second attempt. Vásquez saved the Portuguese player’s first effort, but referee Jesús Gil Manzano ordered a retake because of an infringement during the penalty.

After that, Manchester United increased the pressure. Bryan Mbeumo, following a pass from Cunha, hit both posts, Harry Maguire came close to scoring, and Diogo Dalot’s header was cleared off the goal line. In the 83rd minute, Cunha capitalised on a mistake by Balerdi to equalise, and three minutes later he scored after a pass from Shea Lacey.

Before the match, protests against the club’s Glazer owners took place in the stands at Old Trafford: fans chanted against the management, green-and-gold balloons were in the stands, and tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch. According to match statistics, United had 55% possession and registered four shots on target compared with Roma’s three.