“My main focus should be”: United Women star rues costly failings as team have it all to do in second leg vs Bayern

In spite of a brave effort, Manchester United Women fell to defeat in the first leg of their Champions League tie. The Red Devils fought back twice but finally succumbed to a 2-3 defeat to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford. Maya Le Tissier and Swede Hanna Lundkvist both managed to score for United, but it was not enough to secure a draw in the tie. United’s captain and goalscorer spoke to the club’s media after the match. Early goal After conceding after just two minutes, Le Tissier reflected, “yeah, of course. It’s not ideal to concede so early on. I thought we started the game really well and had a lot of the ball in the first couple of minutes. In that first defensive phase, we missed the press and allowed a run in behind me—so that’s on me as well. But to come back from behind twice shows the mentality in the squad, and we’ll definitely need that going forward.” Le Tissier agreed that her side showed great character to come back against a side like Bayern twice, but was still caught up on how United conceded their goals. She explained, “yeah, I felt really involved in the game tonight. But honestly, I think we could’ve defended the goals much better. We got too stretched by their rotations and weren’t compact enough or covering each other properly.” The defender added, “that’s something we’ll need to look at. Of course, whenever I can score or help the team score, I’ll always try—but my main focus should be defending.” She admitted that her side were disappointed at full-time, but reminded the interviewer that “we have to remember there’s a second leg. That’s really important—we’ve got another chance to put things right and get the result.” Lea Schuller United’s German January signing, Schuller, came up against her former side Bayern Munich. Reflecting on the experience, she added, “yeah, of course we respect Munich—they’re a great team. But we know we’re a great team too. I think we performed very well today.” Commenting on playing at Old Trafford, she answered, “yeah, of course. It’s a great pitch and an amazing stadium—it’s hard not to enjoy it.” She explained, “but there’s no time to rest. We’re back here on Saturday against Manchester City, which is another big game.” Lea Schuller stats vs Bayern Munich StatValue Goals0 Assists0 Total shots2 Shots on target0 Shots blocked0 Touches19 Unsuccessful touches3 Dribbles (successful)1 (0) Was fouled1 Possession lost9 Total carrying distance47.5 m Carries4 Progressive carries3 Total progression28.5 m Progressive carrying distance41.3 m Longest progressive carry13 m Key passes0 Crosses (accurate)1 (0) Accurate passes6/10 (60%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)4/7 (57%) Passes in own half (acc.)2/3 (67%) Def. contributions0 Tackles (won)0 (0) Interceptions0 Clearances0 Blocked shots (defensive)0 Recoveries1 Ground duels (won)2 (1) Aerial duels (won)4 (3) Dribbled past0 Source: Sofascore Featured image Jan Kruger via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.