Senior Reds demand a positive response to defeat
Bruno Fernandes says it's "time to react" for Manchester United after the Reds suffered defeat in our opening UEFA Champions League game of the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo had given United an early lead, poking home in the 13th minute off a wonderful outside-of-the-boot pass from Portugal teammate Fernandes, but things took a turn when Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sent off in the 35th minute.
Young Boys reacted to the red card and put some sustained pressure on the United goal. Their breakthrough came through Nicolas Ngamaleu after 66 minutes, the home side getting a little fortunate as a cross deflected off Luke Shaw. Fortune was theirs once again in the last minute when a stray pass from Jesse Lingard allowed Jordan Siebatcheu to nip in and find a winner.
Highlights: Young Boys 2 United 1
Watch the key moments, including Ronaldo's goal, from the Reds' tough opening night in the Champions League...
United's players reacted to the defeat on social media, with Fernandes admitting it was 'gutting' not to start this year's Champions League campaign off with a win.
He tweeted: "Gutted not to win the first Champions League game of the season. Time to react and bounce back on Sunday."
Gutted not to win the first Champions League game of the season. Time to react and bounce back on Sunday pic.twitter.com/EjkrevZEGx
— Bruno Fernandes (@B_Fernandes8) September 14, 2021
The message was pretty similar from the rest of the squad, as captain Harry Maguire said this on Instagram: "Tough one to take but lots of time to bounce back. #MUFC 🔴"
Goalkeeper David de Gea, who could do little about either goal at the Wankdorf Stadium, admitted it was a difficult defeat to swallow.
A difficult one to take… We go again on Sunday 🔴💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/pvuxEBZzpQ
— David de Gea (@D_DeGea) September 14, 2021
Addressing the Young Boys defeat on Instagram, goalscorer Ronaldo posted this message to fans: “Wasn’t the result we wanted, but now it’s time to recover well and focus on the next game.”
It's not until Sunday that United play again. The Reds will travel back from Switzerland and return to Carrington with only one thing on their minds: victory against West Ham.