What is the state of play in Group H?

Wednesday 02 December 2020 21:58

Manchester United’s loss to Paris Saint-Germain has opened up Group H of the UEFA Champions League.

The Reds needed a point to secure their progression from Group H before Wednesday night’s showdown under the floodlights at Old Trafford. But United were unlucky not to get the decisive point they needed against Paris Saint-Germain.

Neymar opened the scoring for the visitors but Marcus Rashford’s deflected equaliser – his third goal in three matches against PSG  made sure the teams went into the break level.

Match report: United 1 PSG 3

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The Reds have work to do to qualify from Group H, after a frustrating night at Old Trafford.

After the interval, United dominated the play. Edinson Cavani was unfortunate not to score against his former club when a delightful chip hit the bar and Anthony Martial also missed a big chance when he fired over. Instead, against the run of play, Marquinhos put PSG in front again, before Neymar settled the match in injury time. United and PSG are now level on points in the group, with nine points each.

So are RB Leipzig. In the other Group H game on Wednesday, Norwegian striker Alexander Sorloth scored a late winner as the German side beat Istanbul Basaksehir 4-3. A point against RB Leipzig will see United go through on matchday six, because the Reds would go ahead of Julian Nagelsmann's team via head-to-head results, following our 5-0 win at Old Trafford the last time the teams met.

However, should United fall to defeat in Germany next Tuesday, a point for PSG against Istanbul Basaksehir will see the Reds go out of the Champions League and enter the Europa League knockout stage. A PSG win will also guarantee them top spot in the group, as the French champions  with the 3-1 win at Old Trafford  would go ahead of United on head-to-head in the group, by virtue of that late goal on Wednesday from Neymar.

United play at the Red Bull Arena on Tuesday 8 December. Kick-off is at 20:00 GMT.

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