Man United crash out of Europe after 1-0 loss to Bayern, Real reach last 16 with 100% record

Manchester United’s slim chance of a Champions League last-16 spot ended with a 1-0 defeat by group winners Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday, piling more misery on Erik ten Hag’s beleaguered team in an already rocky season.

The three-time European champions needed to beat Bayern in their group stage finale on Tuesday and hope Copenhagen’s game against visiting Galatasaray ended in a draw.

Neither happened as Kingsley Coman slotted home from close range in the 70th minute for Bayern, who were unbeaten in Group A to finish with 16 points and had the jubilant away fans singing “Football’s Coming Home” in the dying seconds.

“We didn’t make it, we have to accept and learn from it,” Dutchman Ten Hag told TNT Sports.

“We made mistakes. Today the performance was very good. We didn’t deserve to lose but we lost the game.”

“In the end, it’s not good enough.”

United have just four points, with their fourth-place finish meaning not even a Europa League playoff berth as consolation, and boos rang out as the final whistle sounded.

Copenhagen won 1-0 in Denmark to finish with eight points and reach the Champions League knockout round, while Galatasaray took the Europa League playoff spot in third with five points.

United won one only of their six group games, with their hopes of advancing hanging by a thread after they twice gave up a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw at Galatasaray on Nov. 29.

Bayern, who beat United 4-3 in their previous meeting in Munich, had already secured top spot in the group.

COMAN STRIKES

Coman scored with ease when he drifted into space in United’s penalty area and no United defender picked him up, leaving Harry Kane to find the Frenchman with a flicked pass that the Bayern winger fired past goalkeeper Andre Onana.

“It was nice,” Kane told TNT. “I felt like we controlled the game and had the better chances. We were calm and we knew in the quick transitions we could hurt them.

“It is always tough when you are top and through already but we had a good motivation. It was nice to get the win today. We have enough ability to go far in this competition. That is the ambition, to go and win the Champions League.”

United’s 15 goals conceded were the most by any English team in this year’s group stage.

It was the club’s sixth time of going out at the group stage and first since 2020-21 plus only the second time they have finished bottom in their group after the 2005-06 campaign.

Ten Hag’s struggling team have 12 defeats in 24 games in all competitions this season, losing 3-0 to lowly Bournemouth on Saturday to sit sixth in the Premier League.

Asked if he would look back on the team’s Champions League campaign with regret Ten Hag said: “Not with regret. We didn’t make it, but we have to accept it. We have to learn from it.

“We played some good football in the Champions League. We have to take some good performance into the Premier League.”

United had just one shot on target, but several scoring chances, including a couple from Bruno Fernandes early in the second half. The United captain launched one well over the bar from the edge of the box and the second just wide of the post, grimacing in frustration after both.

United also lost central defender Harry Maguire to a groin injury in the 40th minute on a miserable night.

FC Copenhagen’s Lukas Lerager scored a second-half goal and was sent off as they reached the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in over a decade with a 1-0 home win over Galatasaray on Tuesday to secure second spot in Group A.

Lerager’s goal illuminated a chilly night as the Danish side’s discipline and doggedness saw them progress from a group in which many experts expected them to finish bottom.

Real beat Union Berlin 3-2 with late Ceballos

Despite the loss, FC Union Berlin players were treated to a standing ovation by their fans

Real Madrid’s Dani Ceballos scored an 89th-minute winner to secure a 3-2 victory at Union Berlin in their final Champions League Group C match on Tuesday, to make it six wins from six matches as the Germans ended their European run in last place.

The hosts had started well and Real goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga needed to pull off a spectacular one-handed save after just 55 seconds to deny Kevin Behrens from close range.

The Spaniards responded with a glancing header from Joselu that bounced off the crossbar in the 16th while he also fired wide in the 43rd before Luka Modric had a 45th-minute penalty saved by Frederik Ronnow.

Instead it was hosts who scored in a dramatic finale to the first half, with Kevin Volland pouncing on a David Alaba miskick to slot home in stoppage time.

Union needed to win to have any chance of qualifying for the Europa League but they came under increased pressure.

Union’s Ronnow came to their rescue once more in the 55th, palming a Rodrygo header from point-blank range wide but the Dane was beaten by Joselu’s header at the far post six minutes later.

The Real forward struck again in the 73rd with another header, this time at the near post from a superb Fran Garcia run and cross but the Germans briefly levelled through Alex Kral’s low drive in the 85th.

Ceballos made sure of the win in the 89th to lift Real to 18 points with Napoli also advancing to the knockout stage, finishing in second place on 10. Braga finished third on four with Union in last place on two points.

Group stage, match 6 of 6

Results:

Lens (0) 2 Sevilla (0) 1
PSV (0) 1 Arsenal (1) 1
Napoli (2) 2 Sporting Braga (0) 0
Union Berlin (1) 2 Real Madrid (0) 3
Internazionale (0) 0 Real Sociedad (0) 0
Salzburg (0) 1 Benfica (2) 3
Manchester United (0) 0 Bayern München (0) 1
København (0) 1 Galatasaray (0) 0

Standings