Marc Skinner admitted Manchester United “had to defend for their lives” in a hard-fought 1-0 away win at Atlético Madrid on Thursday, but warned his side will be “a dangerous team to play against” in the Champions League this season.
Fridolina Rolfö put United ahead in the 24th minute — her first goal since joining in August — but defender Dominque Janssen was sent off before halftime, to leave the visitors under pressure.
United held on for a win, with Atlético’s Alexia Fernández also being dismissed midway through the second half, to make it six points from two UWCL games so far.
“We had to defend for our lives in the second half,” Skinner told Disney+. “We started the game really well, and we should have scored a couple of goals … Then we had to withstand the Atleti attack in the second half.
“Even when we went down to 10 players, we still had chances … To withstand the pressure for as long as we did, and still create chances, showed our character. We’re a dangerous team to play against. Any opponent looking at us will think it’s not going to be easy.”
“I’m super happy to be here, to make an impact and help the team,” Rolfo told ESPN. “A lot happened. Mentally, we had to be prepared… I’m very proud of the team.”
Atlético ended the game with 65% possession, and 17 shots to United’s 10, with an xG (expected goals) of 1.41.
“We’re the ones who played football,” goalkeeper Lola Gallardo said. “We played with personality. We deserved a lot more.”
“We were definitely the best team on the pitch,” midfielder Vilde Boa Risa said. “But we didn’t create enough chances … They only had one cross, and they scored it. We should have at least got a point.”
– Man United in Women’s Champions League: Fixtures, results, news
– A dream Champions League debut for Le Tissier and Man United
Atlético went into the game having won 6-0 away at St Polten last week on matchday one, before being beaten by the same scoreline by Barcelona in Liga F at the weekend.
Janssen was sent off for a challenge on Atlético forward Gio Garbelini — her yellow card being upgraded to red after a VAR review — which saw Garbelini stretchered off.
Fernández was later shown a second yellow card for a foul to disrupt a United counterattack.
“We saw an Atlético with identity, believing until the end,” coach Victor Martín said. “We had bad luck with the sending off. We’re doing a lot of things well.”
