Barney Ronay on Martial ...

What Ole said ...

That’s all for today’s blog, I’ll leave you with Jamie Jackson’s match report. Goodnight.

FC Copenhagen go out of the Europa League with honour. Their Swedish keeper Karl-Johan Johnsson made a series of superheroic saves that verged on the comical, but even he couldn’t stop Bruno Fernandes’s vicious extra-time penalty. It was won by Anthony Martial, who came to life around the 80th minute and was thrillingly unplayable either side of full-time. Juan Mata was also excellent after coming on as substitute for extra time.

All the United players run to Bruno Fernandes - not because he scored the winner, but because he’s on the floor in agony. It might just be cramp; United will hope so.

120 min One minute of added time. Scott McTominay comes on to replace the brilliant Anthony Martial.

119 min Copenhagen make a complete mess of the free-kick and Lingard is able to run 70 yards before being challenged by the last man Oviedo.

118 min United are sitting on their 1-0 lead, which is a dangerous tactic at the best of times. Copenhagen have had all of the ball in the last five minutes, and Boving wins a free-kick near the corner flag on the right. It was a needless foul by Matic.

115 min Copenhagen have a sustained spell of possession for the first time in ages, but eventually Bengtsson’s overhit cross drifts out of play.

112 min United bring on Jesse LIngard for Marcus Rashford, who looks pretty unhappy as he walks off the field. I think that’s because of his poor performance rather than any irritation at being substituted.

112 min The 17-year-old William Boving replaces the classy, mischievous Rasmus Falk.

111 min Replays show that Lindelof miscontrolled the ball onto his arm. I think they changed the law so it’s not handball if you accidentally clodhop the ball onto your own hand, though I couldn’t be sure. Either way it was just outside the area, so wouldn’t have been a penalty.

110 min Both teams look tired, Copenhagen in particular. They have worked so hard defensively. And even now, after talking all that punishment, they only need one chance.

108 min FC Copenhagen appeal for a penalty when Lindelof miscontrols the ball. We haven’t seen a replay but I assume it didn’t hit has hand because play has continued.

107 min “Interesting viewpoints re Martial,” says Phillip Wainwright. “Would you not consider his 1v1 chance immediately prior to the penalty a bad miss rather than a good save? Also his slaloming run in normal time (which was quality) was ended by him not having a left foot to shoot with and wanting the extra touch to bring it back onto his right, thus giving the excellent challenge the time to be made? I’m a huge fan of his, but think you might be being a tad kind regards his profligacy, there.”

Yeah I agree on the first one – he’s normally colder than that. It was still a good save I think, but Martial gave him a chance to make it. It’s more the way he has grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, which is something he would never have done a year ago. And it’s not the first time since lockdown, either: Southampton is an obvious example and I’m sure there are others. It’s fascinating to watch somebody who used to be so listless turn into a bit of a monster. I think he’s been Solskjaer’s biggest triumph so far.

106 min Peep peep! I can’t keep up with this.

105+3 min This is turning into one of the great goalkeeping performances. Fernandes’s corner bounces around the area until Mata hits a deflected shot that is saved the legs of Johnsson. He had already dived in the other direction but stretched out a leg to stop the shot. The ball rebounded to Lindelof, who should have scored but dragged the ball into the side netting. In fact it hit the outside of the post.

105+3 min Fernandes’s stinging shot from 20 yards is beaten away by the flying Johnsson. He’s had an incredible game. There’s a VAR check for a penalty just before that after a challenge on Pogba. VAR says no dice.

105 min Two more changes for FC Copenhagen: Bartolec and Mudrazija replace Stage and Varela. And two minutes of added time.

105 min Now Martial is treating Stage, who has cramp. What has happened to the apathetic Anthony Martial we used to know and get exasperated at?

104 min United almost get a second on the counter. Rashford and Fernandes combine to find Mata, who seems to run past the ball and is then taken out in the area. They’re checking for a penalty but I don’t think it was - he’d left the ball behind.

104 min Martial calmly picks out Mata, who lifts a shot over the bar from 12 yards. He was being challenged but still might have done better.

101 min Martial has changed this game. Late in normal time he decided he’d had enough of this nonsense and started slicing through Copenhagen with a series of sublime high-speed runs. His personality change is fascinating.

100 min Rashford is well offside when put through by Martial. Play is allowed to continue, as is the norm these days, and that allows Johnsson to make yet another one-on-one save. The flag then went up against Rashford, which means Johnsson’s save won’t go down in the official statistics, but it’ll always be in my heart.

98 min: Another big save from Johnsson! Martial, who has played with murderous purpose in the last 25 minutes, zig-zagged devastatingly through the defence and through on goal. He kept beating defenders, one after the other like something from an arcade game, as he tried to find the angle for the shot. He couldn’t so instead backheeled the ball to Mata, who beat one defender and hit a shot that was saved by Johnsson.

96 min Our statisticians tell me that was Manchester United’s 84th penalty of the season.

No hopping and skipping this time - Fernandes jogged on the spot, ran a couple of paces and smashed it to his left. Johnsson went the right way but couldn’t get near it.

PENALTY GIVEN! Fernandes will take it.

94 min: PENALTY TO UNITED! Bjelland has been penalised for fouling Martial, though it’ll be looked at by VAR. A few seconds before that, Johnsson made a vital save after Martial zipped through the defence onto Mata’s pass. Then Mata again found Martial, who turned Bjelland smartly, had his collar felt and went over.

92 min: Johnsson saves again from Martial. It was an instinctive save with his feet when Martial tried to poke the ball past him from a very tight angle. The chance came after a typical bit of interplay between Martial and Rashford. Martial has come alive in the last 20 minutes or so; he’s in beast mode (not to be confused with having a beast).

91 min Peep peep! United begin the first period of extra time.

Juan Mata has replaced Mason Greenwood. I’m slightly surprised at Greenwood going off, but Mata coming on is a good move.

Full time: Internazionale 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen

90+3 min Stage shoots over from distance. That should be it for normal time.

90+1 min Out of nothing Martial slaloms past three players in the area and looks set to score a stunning individual goal when Nelsson lunges to make a last-ditch tackle of immense proportions. That was quite something, both the run and the tackle.

90+1 min Three minutes of added time.

90 min See 67 min.

89 min Martial flips a clever reverse pass to Wan-Bissaka, who screeches a low cross along the six-yard line. In some circumstances that would have been a really good cross, but on this occasion there was nobody there.

87 min Fernandes’s shot from 20 yards is blocked the charging Nelsson. Whatever happens from here, Copenhagen have been superb. Their work rate is so impressive, particularly in this heat, and Rasmus Falk is a hipster hero in waiting. If this performance is representative, he should have many suitors.

86 min After another mischievous run from Falk, who is such an exciting player, Wind wallops over from 25 yards.

84 min: Great save from Johnsson! Martial hit a trademark curler towards the far corner from 25 yards. Johnsson moved across his line, fell to his left and stuck up a left hand to turn it around the post. The most impressive thing about the safe was the strength in his right hand because it looked like Martial’s shot would go through it and into the net.

84 min “I am here for the soccer/football match,” says Chris Mackenzie. “Wish MU find a way to score. Who cares about 20 20 20 20 etc. Play on.”

Sorry, I should have made it clear that they haven’t actually stopped the game until Mac Millings and I agree on the most appropriate format for the 2020-2021/2020-21 season.

83 min Rashford, who has had a bit of a beast, shoots over from long range.

82 min Varela beat Williams with a terrific bit of skill, similiar to Falk’s for the Oviedo chance, but then ran into Williams. It wasn’t a penalty.

81 min Varela goes down in the area after a challenge from Williams. The referee says play on but there’s a VAR check going on. It looked like a dive, and VAR decides there’s no penalty.

78 min Copenhagen’s defence is so narrow, which is a sensible tactic against a team with lots of good through passers and not many good crosses. You couldn’t play like this against Liverpool or Man City as they’d destroy you in wide positions.

78 min Stage is booked for a take-one-for-the-team foul on Rashford.

77 min If I was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer I’d be very keen to get Juan Mata on the pitch to bring down United’s heart rate in the final third. The problem is deciding who to replace. Rashford has been poor, so you could maybe switch Greenwood to the left and put Mata on the right.

76 min Kaufmann is booked for something or other.

75 min “I’m with Mac Millings here,” said no one, eve- sorry, says Nick Honeywell. “I’ve always said ‘Twenty...’ for the years. 1901 was never the year one thousand, nine hundred and one, was it? The second biggest crime of the millennium (after everyone holding their parties a year earlier) was that people went from saying ‘nineteen’ to ‘two thousand’ instead of ‘twenty’.”

Oh, I have no problem with using twenty. It’s the third twenty I was querying: 2020-2021 rather than the usual 2020-21.

74 min Oviedo has another shot blocked by Wan-Bissaka, this one a more speculative effort from a deeper position.

71 min “For Millings’ sake,” says Matt Dony, unwittingly coining my new favourite exclamation, “I’d like to see FC Twente come in 20th place with 20 points (GD -20) in the 2020-2021 season. I mean, I appreciate that 20th place in the Eredivisie is unlikely, but one can dream. One can dream.”

70 min A double change for United: Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof replace Fred and Eric Bailly. It’s also time for the drinks break.

69 min This is great stuff now. Pogba plays a neat one-two with Martial and has a left-footed shot blocked by Bjelland (I think).

68 min Fernandes’s vicious long-range shot is beaten away by Johnsson, who is almost knocked off his feet. The ball eventually comes back to Pogba, whose 20-yard sidefoot is comfortably saved to his left by Johnsson.

67 min “It’s getting tickly now - squeaky-bum time, I call it.”

66 min: Vital block fron Wan-Bissaka! Copenhagen were so close to taking the lead. Falk, who is such an impressive, impish winger, beat Williams and Fred with an outrageous backheel variation on the Cruyff turn and found Wind (I think) 10 yards from goal. He eschewed the shot and instead square the ball to Oviedo, who stormed onto the ball and blasted a shot that was blocked by Wan-Bissaka. As Oviedo ran onto that ball, he looked certain to score.

65 min “Regarding United’s pursuit of a new centre-back, I am wondering if Wan-Bissaka might be a good option if moved inside,” says Kishalay Bannerjee. “He already has excellent one-on-one defensive ability, and his attacking game isn’t really good enough for United anyway. Solskjaer could move him inside, and prioritize a brace of fullbacks instead. Your thoughts?”

I would definitely discuss it with him and look into it as a medium-term option. I’d be slightly worried about all those last-ditch tackles in a central position, but he’s such a natural defender that it’s worth a look, especially as I’m not sure he’ll get much better going forward from right-back.

64 min Bailly is booked for a hand-off to the face of Wind. That looked a bit harsh. Just before that Fernandes chance, Williams made a vital (and risky) sliding challenge on Varela, who would otherwise have been through on goal.

63 min: Fernandes hits the inside of the post! It was a superb effort from Fernandes. He received the ball 25 yards from goal, to the right of centre, and his only thought was to shoot. He got the ball out of his feet and crunched a shot across goal that beat JOhnsson and bounced up to hit the inside of the post.

62 min Maguire is booked for an off-the-ball foul on Kaufmann. Wind then mishit a shot straight at Romero from 12 yards, though I think the flag has gone up in the build-up.

61 min Fernandes flips another delightful pass over the defence, and this time Rashford mishits a volley that bounces up into the arms of Johnsson. I think he was trying to cushion the ball back across goal; either way he made a Horlicks of it.

59 min Fernandes’s pass over the defence is surprisingly miscontrolled by the stretching Greenwood, who would have been through on goal.

58 min A double change for Copenhagen. Bryan Oviedo (yep) and Mikkel Kaufmann replace Daramy and Biel.

57 min: Rashford has a goal disallowed for offside. It was the correct decision. He was well offside when he scored after Greenwood’s cracking low shot from the edge of the area hit the inside of the post. The goal would have counted had Greenwood’s original shot gone in.

56 min Wan-Bissaka beats Falk on the right but crosses too close to the keeper. Despite that, United’s passing has been much sharper in the last few minutes.

55 min After a nice one-touch move from United, Fred hits a miserable low shot straight at Johnsson from 20 yards.

52 min Martial’s snapshot is blocked by Nelsson. United are dominating possession, as they have since the drinks break, but Copenhagen look fairly comfortable defensively.

51 min Williams is a bit slow to react to Fernandes’s pass into the area. One area where United are weak - incredibly weak compared to the world’s best teams like Bayern and Liverpool - is attacking full-back.

50 min “I’m trying to write you a fun email, but I’m back teaching in the classroom this week, so I’m not at my thrilling best,” says Mac Millings. “I am looking forward to the 2020-2021 season, though, if only because we get the unusual privilege of saying ‘twenty’ four times in a row. It’s not much, but it keeps me going.”

I like that you’ve brazenly ignored the usual convention (2020-21) just to treat yourself to an extra twenty.

49 min Pogba shoots high and wide from the edge of the area after a good run from Rashford and a lay off from Fernandes.

46 min Peep peep! Copenhagen begin the second half.

Half-time chit-chat

“Southgate can pick who he likes next summer, Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “But everybody knows it’s Scotland that’ll be bringing it home, though. Winking/laughing emojis.”

On a serious note - because it’s not all fun and games round here - this is the best Scotland squad since when? 2007? 1998? There are a few gaps but any squad that includes Robertson, Tierney, Armstrong, Gilmour, McGinn, Fleck, McGregor, McTominay, Forrest, Taylor, Christie and Shankland is worth getting tentatively excited about.

“The song in dialect is basically about how there are FC fans all over Cologne and the world, and how they will always stay loyal and true to their team,” says Paul. “Much needed sentimentality, as FC’s successes as a Bundesligist lie in the dark and distant past. Maybe therefore, not nostalgia for a location (Loch Lomond) but for a fading memory of past glory.”

I might start singing it myself in that case.

Half-time reading

45+4 min Five minutes of added time by the way.

NO GOAL! Man Utd 0-0 Copenhagen Replays show he was a yard or two offside. No armpits were involved in the cancellation of this goal.

It was an emphatic finish, thumped in off the post with his right foot from a tight angle. It’s still being checked for offside.

GOAL! Man Utd 1-0 Copenhagen (Greenwood 45)

Another clinical finish from Mason Greenwood puts United ahead - but he might be offside.

45 min Rashford’s awkward, wobbling shot from the left edge of the box is shovelled away by Johnsson.

44 min Wan-Bissaka’s deflected cross kicks up at Martial, who controls it on the chest but then falls over and can’t get a shot in.

40 min United’s good spell has petered out. I can’t decide whether they look rusty or tired; either way their guilty feet have got no rhythm.

37 min Varela’s dangerous cross is cleared behind for a corner by Bailly, who just got in front of Daramy at the near post for the second time in the match.

36 min “Do you think Gareth Southgate will pick Greenwood as a potential super-sub at next year’s European Championship?” asks Robert Lin. “Also, is Shaw second choice left-back behind Chilwell in your opinion?”

I think Greenwood will definitely go, maybe even as a starter. I’m not so sure about Shaw – I think he’s better than Williams at that stage but still not good enough. It depends partly on where Bukayo Saka is used next season.

33 min Greenwood makes a bit of space on the edge of the area to rifle a shot that is headed behind by Bjelland. For the first time in the match, Copenhagen are under sustained pressure.

30 min Pogba floats a lovely pass to find Rashford on the left of the area. He takes his time to assess the options and then curls a nice ball in that just evades the stretching Martial at the far post. United have been sharped since the break.

29 min “Matic,” writes my colleague Tim de Lisle, “is playing a blinder.”

28 min Fernandes lifts the free-kick well over the bar.

27 min The match resumes and immediately United look more purposeful. After a snappy passing move, Greenwood is hacked down 22 yards from goal. There’s been another goal in Dusseldorf: Kai Havertz has made it Internazionale 2-1 Leverkusen.

25 min It’s time for the drinks break. Meanwhile, Dave Jackson has sent a link explaining the Cologne/Loch Lomond connection.

24 min Apparently the referee did point to the spot during that earlier incident, and then VAR overturned the decision because of an offside against Maguire.

22 min Romelu Lukaku has made it Inter 2-0 Leverkusen in Dusseldorf.

21 min: There’s a VAR check for a United penalty. I’m not sure exactly what happened because my TV briefly turned blue, but I think the upshot is that they would have had a penalty but for an offside against Maguire in the build-up.

20 min A loose clearance from Wan-Bissaka in his own area is blocked by Wind and almost ricochets to Daramy. Romero has to charge from his line to claim the ball.

19 min This United team often start games slowly, and tonight is no exception. FC Copenhagen have been the better team so far.

17 min: Chances galore for Copenhagen! Fred’s dismal pass was intercepted by Wind, who eased it forward to Daramy in the area. He twisted Bailly inside out before hitting a shot that was blocked desperately by Maguire, and then Wind’s follow-up was blocked by Pogba in the six-yard box.

17 min In the other match tonight, Nicolo Barrella has made it Internazionale 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen.

16 min Falk’s corner from the left is flicked on at the near post, by a United player I think, and headed away by the flying Williams on the line. The ball wasn’t going in, though Nelsson was behind him waiting to score.

15 min Pierre Bengtsson replaces Boilesen, who must have pulled a muscle or some such.

13 min Biel’s deflected cross from the right so nearly falls for Daramy in the six-yard box. Bailly does really well to comes across and get a block in. Moments later, Wan-Bissaka is knocked off his feet when Boilesen’s hard-hit cross smacks him in the coupon. Weirdly, Boilesen seems to have injured himself in hitting the cross. He’s sitting down, a picture of frustration, and a substitute is being prepared.

11 min It’s been a fairly low-key start. United have had the more promising openings, but it’s certainly not a one-sided match.

9 min “I watched a Cologne match last season on the telly box, and my ear immediately picked up on the song being played as the team came out,” says Simon McMahon. “It was unmistakably Loch Lomond, the traditional Scottish folk song. The Cologne fans were belting it out, in German of course, but I couldn’t help wondering what the origins were. Anyone know?”

8 min A free-kick to United 30 yards from goal, slightly to the right of centre. Rashford drives it a few yards wide.

6 min Pogba rakes an outrageous crossfield pass to Wan-Bissaka to set United on the wall. Eventually Fred drives a pass over the defence to Bruno Fernandes, whose header across the face of the goal is cleared by a Copenhagen defender. Martial wasn’t able to catch up with play.

4 min ... and Jonas Wind heads it away at the near post. Copenhagen have made quite a fast start. Their formation is more of a 4-4-2 than 4-2-3-1, with Wind and Daramy up front.

3 min United win an early corner on the left. Bruno Fernandes strolls over to take it...

1 min Peep peep! After the players on both sides take a knee - what did happen at the Etihad the other night - United get the game underway. It’s 32 degrees apparently.

The players emerge on a sultry evening in Cologne. Both teams are in their home strip: United red (Chevrolet), Copenhagen white (Carlsberg).

“Here in Germany it was never quite clear why Sancho should leave a young, dynamic team with Champions League qualification and the promise of better things to sign for Manchester United,” writes Paul. “I find it regrettable that certain sections of the Manchester United heavily biased press (no names), are even calling on Sancho to go on strike. Their arrogance, particularly in these Corona-stricken times, and the idea that Chelsea and United can buy everything in the Bundesliga, shows how far they are removed from reality.”

While I take your point, especially about the arrogance, I’m not sure they’re that far removed: do you not think Havertz and Sancho will end up at Chelsea and United this summer? As unpleasant as it is, this stuff has been going on since Moses wore short pants.

“Hi Rob,” says Peter Oh. “It looks like Netflix star and former Sunderland player Bryan Oviedo is among Copenhagen’s substitutes.”

It’s an omen.

“Hi Rob,” says Lars Bøgegaard. “Could I interest you with a remarkable stat? Copenhagen has played 30 European games in a row without conceding more than one goal. That is seven more games than the second best on the list, one of the great Milan sides from the 90s.

“The last team to score more than one European goal against Copenhagen was Atletico Madrid in 2018. That record row surely will come to an end tonight, no? Here at the pub in Copenhagen we hope not!”

That really is a bonkers statistic. I hope you are sharing it with everyone else in Kennedy’s, or whichever pub you are in.

“No BT Sport for me so I’ll be with you throughout this gripping high stakes encounter,” says Neil Carter. “Good to see Bailly playing tonight, it always adds excitement in this house predicting the moment he either injures himself, a teammate or gives away a penalty/gets a red card. It gives these European nights extra spice. Greenwood to have a good game and score the winner for me tonight footballing gods. GGMU!!”

“Is it really such a surprise that Fred is selected this evening?” says David Wall. “Even when they were inconsistent in the first half of the season he was unarguably one of the few successes of the season (alongside Rashford and Martial). He seemed to have developed a decent relationship with Fernandes before the hiatus that gave Pogba time to regain fitness.

“Much as I was impressed by their post-lockdown form I thought it a shame that he was the one missing out in the new midfield three. He was pretty good evidence for the view that sometime players arriving to a new league just need a bit of time and, crucially, support from their manager to adjust and show the form that justified buying them in the first place.”

Don’t get me wrong, I like him a lot and agree with pretty much everything you say; I’m not just sure about him alongside Pogba. I’d much prefer Matic and Fred or Matic and Pogba, depending on the opposition. It’s also a surprise simply because Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has picked the same XI where possible, without Fred, for all the important games since late June.

It’s a really warm night in Cologne, over 30 degrees, so there should be drinks breaks during both halves.

Pre-match reading (and listening)

If the match level after 90+4 minutes, it will go extra-time and potential penalties. The shorter format definitely increases Copenhagen’s chance of causing a shock.

“Would have picked McTominay over Fred - his forward thrusts cause the opposition problems,” says Francis Mead. “And Bailly always gives me the willies - he’s an accident waiting to happen.”

I assume Lindelof is only fit enough for the bench. The Fred decision is interesting; I didn’t see that coming.

Pre-match buzz-harsher

It’s all part of the game.