21
Manchester United suffered a disappointing 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the final match of their preseason tour of the United States in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
A second-string Red Devils side got off to a bright start, with Diogo Dalot dispossessing Dortmund high up the pitch soon after kick-off before Omari Forson fired in the first shot of the game after six minutes to force a save from goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Man United dominated possession throughout the opening 20 minutes, camping in their opponents’ final third yet unable to truly threaten Dortmund’s goalmouth.
All that changed in the 24th minute, when Diogo Dalot fired home a thunderous long-range strike to hand the Red Devils the lead.
Following a lengthy period of dominance from United, Tom Heaton faced his first real challenge in the 35th minute when he was forced to save an opportunistic shot from distance by Karim Adeyemi.
Moments later, United won a free kick on the other end of the field, with Christian Eriksen coming close to scoring as Kobel was forced to make a diving save.
Despite his team’s bright start, Forson was substituted for Anthony after just 38 minutes, with the youngster appearing to struggle throughout the opening proceedings.
In the 43rd minute, the Red Devils unraveled as Dortmund striker Donyell Malen scored from close range on a rare counterattack to level the score.
Less than a minute later, Malen scored yet again, surging into United’s box to get on the end of a pass from former United player Marcel Sabitzer.
The second half got underway with a fairly similar United lineup, save for new signing Andre Onana, who came on for Heaton.
From the get-go, Onana appeared alert, making a crucial save as United’s defence almost capitulated for a third time.
Seven minutes after the restart, an opportunistic Antony picked up on a Dortmund defensive error at the edge of the box, scoring with a left-footed shot to put the Red Devils back in the game.
Two minutes later, United were back on the attack, with Eriksen passing a through ball to Brandon Williams who charged up the wing and won United a corner when his ball to Jadon Sancho was cut out.
One the 60-minute mark, much of United’s regular starting 11 made their way onto the pitch in an almost complete overhaul.
In the 71st minute, United fell prey to another lapse of focus when Dortmund yet again scored on a sporadic counterattack as Marco Reus passed to Youssoufa Moukoko who scored from the centre of the box.
After 76 minutes, makeshift forward Sancho came off for 19 year old Joe Hugill; a natural number nine.
Marcus Rashford got on the end of several attacking moves, including a rapid-fire Fernandes cross that he was unable to bring under his control.
Moments later, Rashford cut into the box from the left to swing a shot into the far post.
Dortmund keeper Alexander Meyer saved the shot at full stretch, and while the rebound fell to Antony, a poor first touch resulted in the Brazilian’s shot going wide of the open goal.
A through ball from Bruno Fernandes found Hugill, whose shot was blocked by Meyer after he went one-on-one with the German shot-stopper.
Ultimately, it wasn’t to be for United, with the team unable to find an equalizer as Dortmund held on for the victory.
Despite dominating the flow of play, United’s loss of focus at the back will surely be a cause for concern for Erik ten Hag as he readies his team for the upcoming season.
1st half team: Heaton, Lindelof, Maguire, Eriksen, Dalot, Sancho, Pellistri, Williams, Van de Beek, McTominay, Forson
Subs: Antony, Onana, Martinez, Evans, Shaw, Rashford, Fernandes, Mount, Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro, Hugill
