Manchester United’s Fridolina Rolfö said her side were “not good enough” as they tasted defeat for the first time in the UEFA Women’s Champions League with a 5-2 loss at VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday.
A thrilling game saw Rolfö put United ahead early on, but the hosts turned the game through Ella Peddemors’ brace and the first half ended in chaotic fashion as Lineth Beerensteyn and Melvine Malard both scored.
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Beerensteyn grabbed her second after the break and Vivien Endemann’s stoppage-time strike ensured United’s three-game winning run in the competition was ended.
While Man United have been balancing a hectic schedule in their first season in Europe’s premier competition, Rolfö refused to blame tiredness for the loss.
“I think it can play a part, absolutely,” she told Disney+. “I think its a mix of different factors. I wouldn’t say it’s the main reason. I think there’s other things as well. Hopefully we can turn this around.
“We have to learn from our mistakes because this is not good enough.”
Man United previously beat Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid and Valerenga in this season’s competition but Rolfö insisted the team must not rest on their laurels.
“Nine points in such a tough Champions League stage, we should be happy but we have to continue because we want more than this. We have to show that,” she added.
United boss Marc Skinner, meanwhile, said he felt the scoreline was a harsh reflection on the 90 minutes but that his team were “punished.”
“The manager and experience in me looks at the point that they’ve had six shots on target and scored five,” he told MUTV.
“That’s part and parcel of the game, you have to understand it. I don’t think it was a 5-2 game, I think we’ve given them almost three or four of those goals.
“It’s on us as a collective. We’ll learn from it, it will help our young team grow. We’ve been excellent this competition so far. We’ve just played a team tonight that’s punished us.
“They’ve done nothing special, they’re a direct team and so we have to be better at controlling the game. There are mistakes we’ve made tonight that we have to put right and make sure we don’t do again.”
Wolfsburg boss Stephan Lerch said he believes his side fully deserved their third win from four Champions League matches.
He told Disney+ post-match: “The first minutes I think Manchester United had a better start, but then it was a good match from our side. I think we deserved the win in the end.
“In the second half we controlled the game, we dominated a little bit, so I’m very proud of the team and a great performance.”
