FIRST HALF – TRAILING AT THE INTERVAL
It was crucial for United to withstand an early surge, yet just seconds before the whistle, Haaland found a gap in our defense and sent a shot skimming across Altay Bayindir’s goal.
Fortunately, this was one of the few defensive mishaps early on, as Benjamin Sesko quickly responded with a shot on target three minutes later, though debutant Gianluigi Donnarumma was up to the task. Following a promising buildup orchestrated by Bruno Fernandes and Noussair Mazraoui, United seemed to be finding their rhythm, only to fall behind in the 18th minute.
Doku skillfully maneuvered past Luke Shaw to enter the box; his first cross was blocked by Manuel Ugarte but fell right back into his path. He then delivered a perfectly placed ball into the center, allowing an unmarked Foden to head home the opener past Bayindir.
The hosts momentarily seized control, but Amorim’s squad managed to create some tension when Bryan Mbeumo received an Ugarte through ball, though he skewed his finish wildly and was flagged offside. A few minutes later, a pass from Mazraoui was chest-controlled by Sesko, who forced a solid save from Donnarumma, although referee Anthony Taylor called the Slovenian for handball.
Nico O’Reilly shot over the bar from the edge of the penalty area, but neither team could find their rhythm as the first half came to a close, with City holding a lead on the scoreboard, despite perhaps not dominating the overall play.
