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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer criticized his ill-fated side’s “unforgivable” defense when they fell in an embarrassing 2-1 Champions League loss to Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday.
United, reeling in the lower reaches of the Premier League, started the game as firm favorites after an impressive win against Paris Saint-Germain and a 5-0 humiliation of RB Leipzig.
But the defeat in Turkey, Basaksehir’s first win in the Champions League group stage, increases the pressure on the Norwegian manager, whose team seemed lacking in inspiration and basic defensive notions in Istanbul.
The three-time European champions were poorly exposed at half-time when former Chelsea striker Demba Ba and Edin Visca gave the home side a two-goal lead.
United got hopeful when they cut the deficit shortly before the break with an Anthony Martial header.
But despite multiple second-half changes and a variety of attacking talents, Solskjaer’s lackluster side could not find a way to overcome Basaksehir’s organized defense.
The result ended Manchester United’s longest winning streak in all competitions in its history (10 wins in a row) and was its first away loss in 19 games since losing in January at Liverpool in the Premier League.
Solskjaer said the performance against the hard-working Turkish team was not good enough.
“They scored two goals like you in Europe when you don’t defend well enough,” he told BT Sport.
“The first is that we play a short corner and we forget the man upstairs. That is inexcusable. The second is also, we are not very well organized to counter the press.”
“You don’t show up and get three points in the Champions League,” he added. “They are a well organized team and we weren’t good enough. That’s it.”
– Defensive chaos –
United started the game in the comfort zone, with no sign of the looming defensive chaos in front of a small but noisy crowd.
Luke Shaw threw a ball past the far post with his left foot, but United, led by Marcus Rashford and Martial, had no penetration.
The hosts went ahead in the 12th minute after inexplicably bad conscience and organization allowed former Chelsea striker Ba to pick up a long ball and run from the midline to score, followed helplessly by Nemanja Matic.
Axel Tuanzebe, who impressed in Paris, had a heart attack after he threw Ba back but escaped with a yellow card.
Basaksehir continued to threaten at half-time, with United worryingly wide at the rear, and the visitors were caught sleeping again five minutes before half-time.
Deniz Turuc took possession from Juan Mata down the left and ran forward, sending a cross that Ba took one step and Visca crushed Dean Henderson, making his Champions League debut in place of David de Gea.
United crucially cut the deficit in the 43rd minute when Martial headed a cross from Shaw.
Solskjaer hooked Tuanzebe at halftime, with Scott McTominay coming in and Matic stepping back to play center-back alongside Harry Maguire.
United again enjoyed territorial advantage early in the second half and Bruno Fernandes took a free-kick.
Solskjaer pitched Edinson Cavani and Paul Pogba in place of Mata and Donny van de Beek to add momentum to the attack, but United struggled to create clear chances.
Mason Greenwood replaced Rashford as United continued to search for a path.
They came agonizingly close to a tie in injury time when Alexandru Epureanu cut the line, but failed to salvage a point in the Group H tie.
United appeared to have turned the corner after their 6-1 beating at Tottenham last month, but have now suffered back-to-back losses to Arsenal and Basaksehir.
“They (two losses) have pushed us back a lot,” said Solskjaer, whose team travels to Everton on Saturday. “You get a reality check every time you play a soccer game.”
jw / dj
