Manchester U 3 Braga 2:ONLY ONCE before had Manchester United won when two goals behind in the Champions League: the famous night in Turin when Roy Keane dragged them to a 3-2 victory over Juventus en route to the 1999 final. On 75 minutes of an evening that again did nothing to ease the heart rates of the home support, Javier Hernandez was the man who changed this statistic, the Mexican's head connecting with a sweeping Tom Cleverley cross from the right to finally give United the lead.
There were further scares for the Reds. An 80th-minute corner from Alan, who scored both Braga’s goals, skimming over the area before the ball found a route safely into the hands of David de Gea, as United ended proceedings as they began: living dangerously.
The first half continued the thrills and spills in attack and the defensive mishaps that has been the Manchester United movie so far this season. Even by their sluggish standards the start was dire.
After 80 seconds they fell behind to an Alan header after Michael Carrick – who would later be hoodwinked for the visiting captain’s second – conceded a corner just after kick-off. This was defended well, but when play continued and the ball broke to Hugo Viana, a swinging delivery from the left found the head of Alan, who got ahead of Alexander Buttner to give his side the lead.
This was the eighth time in 12 outings Alex Ferguson’s men have trailed during this campaign.
Worse was to follow as a stunned United saw their deficit doubled. This time Carrick, playing as an auxiliary central defender, was the patsy in a Cruyff turn smoothly executed by Eder down the left. The striker cruised towards de Gea’s goal, then rolled the ball into Alan whose finish was expert.
For each of these goals the space United allowed when turned was the issue, a problem that continued until half-time.
Normal service was partially resumed after 25 minutes. Robin van Persie’s tricky footwork moved him inside from the left.
He was chopped down by Leandro Salino but the referee, Milorad Mazic, played the advantage as the ball found Shinji Kagawa. After a look up, he floated a cross onto Hernandez’s head and though Beto parried the ball it followed him over the line.
Van Persie followed this with a neat chest-down and swivel-then-shot which went wide. There were other moments when United might have drawn level: Wayne Rooney’s probing down the right with Rafael da Silva went unrewarded, and Buttner’s mazy run into the Braga area might have won a penalty as he fell.
Hernandez might have had a second when Van Persie again hurt the visitors down their right – this time his tipped attempt was saved by Beto. But a jittery rearguard that has plagued United this season was again evident when a regulation clearing header from Da Silva was instead spooned behind to gift Braga a corner.
Alex Ferguson had outlined his priorities before the game.
“The main aim tonight is to make sure we don’t waste our advantage and get the points which almost see us through. A win would take us to nine points, just one point from my target of 10 with three games left.”
Rio Ferdinand was on the bench, with no place at all for Scott Wootton, who might have been give a full Champions League debut alongside Jonny Evans, had he been in the 18-man squad.
Ferguson had lined his side up in a diamond shape for the consecutive time of this group stage, with Rooney at the tip behind Van Persie and Hernandez. This dynamic changed when Nani replaced Kagawa for the start of the second half, possibly due to the knock he had taken during the opening period, and Rooney moved to the left.
With Nani on the right, Ferguson’s men were now operating in a more orthodox 4-4-1-1, flat across midfield. After Da Silva won a free-kick down the right for which Elderson was booked, Van Persie stung Beto’s fingers with a curving attempt from the angle.
Rooney was next up, first pinging in an attempted through-ball into Van Persie’s run that was blocked, then crossing with his left foot for the Dutchman, but again danger was cleared.
Braga failed to do so again for Evans’ equaliser. A Van Persie corner was flicked off Carrick’s back and when the Irishman’s air-shot missed the ball it rebounded off Alan, and this time Evans scrambled it home.
MAN UTD: De Gea, Da Silva, Carrick, Evans, Buttner, Kagawa (Nani 46), Fletcher, Cleverley, Rooney, Hernandez (Giggs 79),van Persie. Subs Not Used: Johnstone, Ferdinand, Anderson, Young, Welbeck.
BRAGA: Beto, Leandro Salino, Nuno Andre, Paulo Vinicius, Elderson, Custodio, Hugo Viana, Ruben Amorim (Helder Barbosa 80), Alan (Mossoro 86), Ruben Micael (Ze Luis 88), Eder. Subs Not Used: Quim, da Solva, Baiano, Anibal. Booked: Custodio,Elderson.
Ref: Milorad Mazic (Serbia).
