Basel v Manchester United; Player Ratings

Manchester United suffered an upset in Group A when they were defeated 1-0 by Basel in Switzerland.

The game looked destined for a draw as both sides struggled to create many clear-cut chances until Lang got at the end of a cross to send the ball into an empty net with just a minute left to play. That would go on t be the decisive goal of the evening.

Here are the player ratings from the match:

Basel

Tomas Vaclik – 8

The goalkeeper got off to a great start, saving Lukaku’s close-range effort in the 12th minute before pulling off a number of good saves for the rest of the evening, most notably to deny Martial in a one on one situation.

Manuel Akanji – 7

Akanji made an excellent clearance on the line to stop a clear goal from Fellaini and put in a great defensive shift all night.

Marek Suchy – 8

The Basel centre-back led by example, making some great blocks, tackles and passed out from the back well. It was a terrific performance from the Czech defender.

Eder Balanta – 7

In the back three, Balanta did his job very well, standing firm against Lukaku and Ibrahimovic who came on later in the evening. Alongside his other two centre-backs, he put in a great performance defensively.

Michael Lang – 8

In the first half Lang struggled to see any of the ball. However, in the second half the midfielder came to life and helped his Basel side see a lot more of the possession. Most importantly, Lang scored the goal that would seal a historic win over United.

Serey Die – 8

Die was by far Basel’s best player in midfield and as Basel grew into the game, the midfielder got better and better. He would eventually come off due to injury, but his performance was the best of the 22 players on the pitch.

Luca Zuffi – 6

In midfield, Zuffi put in a defensive shift but had much less of an impact than Die in the first half. However, in the second half, he contributed to both defence and attack, playing a role in the team’s victory.

Raoul Petretta – 7

Petretta was relatively quiet all night apart from a few times Basel countered. But he was in the right place at the right time to play in Lang for his tap-in with a very good low cross.

Renato Stefano – 6

Stefano grew into the game massively in the second half after a quiet opening half. The tricky midfielder gave United’s defence a number of problems running directly at the fullbacks.

Dimitri Oberlin – 6

Oberlin has been a revelation for Basel this year in the Champions League, but the forward found himself isolated for the most part and scuffed a couple of good opportunities.

Mohammed Elyounoussi – 6

Elyounoussi did not see the ball as much as he would have liked and struggled to get involved, but luckily for him, he was on the winning side.

Substitutes:

Alexander Fransson – N/A

Coming on due to Die’s injury, he continued the midfielder’s good work and added some fresh legs, but he only played the final 10 minutes.

Manchester United

Blind was constantly tested on the wing

Sergio Romero – 7

For the first half Romero had almost nothing to do. However, in the second half the Argentinian had to make a number of good saves. Unfortunately, he could do nothing about Basel’s winner as Lang scored into an open goal.

Matteo Darmian – 4

When the Red Devils were in control of the first half, the full-back put in some woeful crosses and struggled to make an impact. Then in the second half, Darmian got even worse. Basel began to target his side, he was booked late on, and the assist for the goal came down his side. It was not a good night for the Italian.

Chris Smalling – 7

Smalling put in a strong performance on Saturday evening against Newcastle and continued that form tonight with a strong defensive display alongside Rojo, where he also passed the ball out from the back well.

Marcos Rojo – 7

On his first game back from injury the Argentinian was solid and nearly got himself a goal as his long-range shot was deflected onto the crossbar. United did eventually concede late on but for the most part, he deserved a clean sheet in defence.

Daley Blind – 6

Blind was strong defensively but did not offer a whole lot going forward.

Ander Herrera – 6

Herrera played well in the first half and helped dictate play with Pogba. However, in the second half the match seemed to bypass him and he found it hard to deal with Die for Basel in central midfield.

Marouane Fellaini – 6

Fellaini proved to be United’s biggest threat early on in the game and had a header cleared off the line before he sent another one wide. But he really faded as the game dragged on, and didn’t help his team-mates as they tried to control the ball in midfield.

Jesse Lingard – 5

The Englishman did not get involved as much as he would have liked and failed to take the opportunity given to him to start in a Champions League tie.

Paul Pogba – 6

Playing in a higher role than usual, Pogba started brightly, but faded as the game developed. He was eventually substituted for Matic as United tried to take control in midfield.

Anthony Martial – 7

Martial was unfortunately denied the opening goal after a great individual run when Vlacik saved his chip in a one on one. He continued to show some brilliant feet from then on until he was eventually substituted for Ibrahimovic.

Romelu Lukaku – 6

The Belgian missed an early one on one and it would eventually come back to haunt him as his United team were defeated away in Switzerland. The striker has now scored just one goal in his last eight games for the Red Devils.

Substitutes:

Marcus Rashford – 6

Rashford tried to be bright after his introduction just after the hour mark. But he found it tough to get going as Basel defended strongly.

Nemanja Matic – 5

Matic came on to try and get a hold of the ball in midfield, but the Serbian found it difficult and could not get going.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 6

Ibrahimovic was introduced with just 16 minutes to play and saw very little of the ball. He linked up with Lukaku on a couple of occasions. But with United being on the back foot, it was hard for him to get involved.