Manchester United Women will not look back to their trip to Bergen with a lot of fondness.
Unlucky night
The Red Devils gave it their all but they came out as 0-1 losers to SK Brann, the Norwegian side.
Marc Skinner’s side had significantly more chances than their opponents but conceded from a set piece.
It now means that United must win next Thursday to force extra-time or by two goals to progress to the Champions League proper.
Poor preparation
Sometimes teams are just unlucky and players can have off nights but there was a rather big coincidence for United’s players on the night.
CP24 reports that “Manchester United have launched an investigation into how players’ boots were lost on the way to their Women’s Champions League qualifier in Norway, forcing them to scramble for new ones.”
In an incredible scene, the team had to buy boots and shin guards from a local sports shop in Bergen, just hours before kick off.
Shop owner Andre Gullord told the BBC that the club had spent several thousand pounds.
He explained, “we are a big store but they were very lucky we had enough boots in stock that were the right size. They paid between £200 and £230 for each pair and £30 for the shin guards.”
The owner also added that “we have had the odd player come in because they have left their boots behind but never the entire team.”
A shop worker also commented, “some of them (the players) had to go up half a size but I think they were OK with it. It was between that or not playing.”
A United spokesperson claimed “a bag containing some of our players’ boots went missing during the journey to Bergen.”
They added, “we are investigating how this happened. In the meantime, we have secured new boots for all the affected players.”
United fans will hope for smoother preparations before the all-important second leg on Thursday evening at the Leigh Sports Village.
Featured image Michael Campanella via Getty Images
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Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
