Europa League - Quarter-Final
Man UtdManchester United1FC CopenhagenFC Copenhagen0

Manchester United: Bruno Fernandes penalty books Europa League semi-final

By Tom RostanceBBC Sport

Last updated on .From the section European Footballcomments614

Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United have won 21 penalties in all competitions this season - the most for any side in Europe's top five leagues

Manchester United needed an extra-time penalty from Bruno Fernandes to finally see off a spirited FC Copenhagen and set up a potential Europa League semi-final against Wolves.

United were poor for much of the first half in the heat of Cologne but still had a penalty overturned and a goal ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side improved and dominated the second half but could find no way past inspired goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson, with Fernandes and Mason Greenwood also each hitting the post and Marcus Rashford having another effort disallowed.

Fernandes finally broke through in familiar style, keeping cool to drive in United's 21st spot-kick of the season at the start of the extra period to extend their marathon season by another week.

Johnsson was magnificent between the posts for Copenhagen - ending the night with 13 saves as United rained down 26 efforts on goal all told - while the Danish runners-up failed to have a single shot on target.

United - who won this competition four seasons ago - will now face either Premier League rivals Wolves or Europa League specialists Sevilla in the last four in Dusseldorf on Sunday night.

No way past for United

Three hundred and sixty-four days after Solskjaer started his first full season in charge of United, he is now two games away from a possible first trophy.

The January signing of Fernandes has already delivered a third-placed finish and Champions League football and the Portuguese midfielder was again the eventual difference maker on a draining night in scorching heat.

The temperature was still 32C at kick-off at 9pm local time and United made a poor start - Fred's error almost letting in Mohammed Daramy, before Brandon Williams had to head away from the goal-line.

But despite their lethargy, United always carried a threat and were briefly awarded a penalty for a shove at a set-piece before VAR flagged an offside in the build-up.

Greenwood finished brilliantly off the far post but the strike was correctly called back for another offside before Solskjaer witnessed a far better second half.

Greenwood fired against the post again, with his left foot this time, Rashford tapping in but again from an offside position before Fernandes thundered a shot against the opposite post from range.

Johnsson's individual showreel then threatened to throw a spanner in the works.

Perhaps the Swedish keeper's best save denied Anthony Martial, who eventually won the decisive penalty thanks to a push from former Brentford defender Andreas Bjelland.

Fernandes fired into the corner without his trademark hop on approach to ensure a 17th European semi-final for United.

Man of the match - Karl-Johan Johnsson (FC Copenhagen)

Karl-Johan Johnsson
Karl-Johan Johnsson made 13 saves this evening, the joint-most by a goalkeeper in a single Europa League game since the competition's re-branding in 2009-10.

Line-ups

Man Utd

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 22Romero
  • 29Wan-Bissaka
  • 3BaillyBooked at 63minsSubstituted forLindelöfat 71'minutes
  • 5MaguireBooked at 61mins
  • 53Williams
  • 6Pogba
  • 17FredSubstituted forMaticat 70'minutes
  • 26GreenwoodSubstituted forMataat 90'minutes
  • 18Bruno Fernandes
  • 10RashfordSubstituted forLingardat 113'minutes
  • 9MartialSubstituted forMcTominayat 120+1'minutes

Substitutes

  • 1de Gea
  • 2Lindelöf
  • 8Mata
  • 14Lingard
  • 15Pereira
  • 21James
  • 24Fosu-Mensah
  • 25Ighalo
  • 31Matic
  • 39McTominay
  • 44Chong
  • 71Mengi

FC Copenhagen

Formation 4-4-2

  • 21Johnsson
  • 2VarelaSubstituted forBartolecat 105'minutes
  • 25Nelsson
  • 5Bjelland
  • 20BoilesenSubstituted forBengtssonat 15'minutes
  • 16BielSubstituted forOviedoat 57'minutes
  • 6StageBooked at 77minsSubstituted forMudrazijaat 105'minutes
  • 10Gonçalves RodriguesBooked at 105mins
  • 33Falk JensenSubstituted forBoving Vickat 111'minutes
  • 11DaramySubstituted forKaufmannat 57'minutesBooked at 75mins
  • 23Wind

Substitutes

  • 1Andersen
  • 3Bengtsson
  • 4Papagiannopoulos
  • 13Grytebust
  • 17Bartolec
  • 19Oviedo
  • 24Mudrazija
  • 29Kaufmann
  • 42Boving Vick
  • 45Hjaelmhof
Referee:
Clément Turpin

Match Stats

Home TeamMan UtdAway TeamFC Copenhagen
Possession
Home55%
Away45%
Shots
Home26
Away9
Shots on Target
Home14
Away0
Corners
Home8
Away4
Fouls
Home10
Away17

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Manchester United 1, FC København 0.

  2. Post update

    Second Half Extra Time ends, Manchester United 1, FC København 0.

  3. Substitution

    Substitution, Manchester United. Scott McTominay replaces Anthony Martial.

  4. Post update

    Foul by Nemanja Matic (Manchester United).

  5. Post update

    William Boving Vick (FC København) wins a free kick on the right wing.

  6. Post update

    Corner, FC København. Conceded by Victor Lindelöf.

  7. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Mikkel Kaufmann (FC København) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by William Boving Vick.

  8. Substitution

    Substitution, Manchester United. Jesse Lingard replaces Marcus Rashford.

  9. Post update

    Brandon Williams (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  10. Post update

    Foul by Karlo Bartolec (FC København).

  11. Substitution

    Substitution, FC København. William Boving Vick replaces Rasmus Falk Jensen.

  12. Post update

    Paul Pogba (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  13. Post update

    Foul by Robert Mudrazija (FC København).

  14. Post update

    Corner, FC København. Conceded by Harry Maguire.

  15. Post update

    Foul by Nemanja Matic (Manchester United).

  16. Post update

    Rasmus Falk Jensen (FC København) wins a free kick on the right wing.

  17. Post update

    Second Half Extra Time begins Manchester United 1, FC København 0.

  18. Post update

    First Half Extra Time ends, Manchester United 1, FC København 0.

  19. Post update

    Victor Lindelöf (Manchester United) hits the right post with a left footed shot from the centre of the box following a corner.

  20. Post update

    Attempt saved. Juan Mata (Manchester United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.

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Comments

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614 comments

  • Comment posted by AndyB_MOT, at 10:07 11 Aug 2020

    21 penalties in a season is just ridiculous. Recently, my team went over a year without a single one!

  • Comment posted by Roguedfr, at 10:13 11 Aug 2020

    Congrats Man Utd for getting another penalty

  • Comment posted by U17871561, at 10:14 11 Aug 2020

    Ref tried to give Man Utd another pen earlier in the game and noone even knew why but luckily was an offside in the build up.

    Gently touching Martial's shoulder made him fall over and the ref gave a pen for that which decided this match.

    It does appear that whenever Man Utd are unable to do the task they are given a pen
    21 pens this season, have a word.

  • Comment posted by AndyB_MOT, at 10:12 11 Aug 2020

    Will Fernandes be taking their penalty in the semi final?

  • Comment posted by U17185616, at 10:16 11 Aug 2020

    Congratulations Utd, you clearly deserved the win

    Credit to Karl-Johan Johnson, an excellent goalkeeping performance

    Message to all defenders...
    Don't breathe too hard near any Utd player in the box, they'll collapse and 'win' a penalty 👌

  • Comment posted by steelliott, at 10:09 11 Aug 2020

    For the neutral, i saw a goal keeper possessed last night. A worldie performance from him. The kind that would have you throw your laptop out of the window on Championship Manager.

  • Comment posted by Cymraes27, at 10:24 11 Aug 2020

    @22

    Not a great performance by Utd but at least they got the job done. Swedish teams are notorious for being hard to breakdown, so I think Utd's greater fitness levels showed in the end.

    Ahh yes, the well known Swedish city of Copenhagen

  • Comment posted by Pip, at 10:13 11 Aug 2020

    It's becoming highly dubious the penalty count of this side, and after last night, the penalty decisions too, are becoming highly dubious as well.........?

  • Comment posted by RayOz20, at 10:42 11 Aug 2020

    Add Man United Penalty to Death and Taxes as being the only certainties in life!!!

  • Comment posted by Time Scarred Pelican, at 10:07 11 Aug 2020

    As an English supporter of English football first and foremost I want all PL clubs to do well in Europe.

    I'm glad Man Utd won but if there was no such thing as a "Penalty" would they ever score a goal.....?

  • Comment posted by U17842330, at 10:17 11 Aug 2020

    Around 25% of Uniteds goals in all contests this season have been penalties, Martial is a diving machine are his boots made out of banana skins? Ronaldo had some boots like that when he played for Utd but his boots were yellow so we could clearly see them
    Martial ought to have been carded at least 3 times in this game for cheating and diving and he should not have still been on the pitch. CHEATS.

  • Comment posted by Cymraes27, at 10:09 11 Aug 2020

    Wonder where united would be this season if penalties didn't exist?

  • Comment posted by AndrewMichael, at 10:44 11 Aug 2020

    23% of goals have come from penalties this season. Ole is clearly training players to go down when breathed on. An the media love in as usual is incredible. If that is Pulisic, Jesus or Salah having their legs buckle from beneath them when touched on the shoulder they would be slaughtered for it. More managers need to call them out as 21 pens is obscene and the diving is ugly.

  • Comment posted by Camp19ne, at 11:55 11 Aug 2020

    I have just watched the replay of the penalty incident and whilst the player did rest his hand on Martials shoulder it wasn't enough to send him spinning in to the air and dropping to the floor, if a penalty like that had gone against Man U they'd be fuming.
    You can't take it away from them, United have mastered making the most of any challenge in the box, it's just another way of winning games

  • Comment posted by Bestteamintheland, at 10:45 11 Aug 2020

    Totally underserved penalty. A shocking dive. The best team didn’t deserve to lose. Shame on this team of cheats.

  • Comment posted by U18501573, at 10:47 11 Aug 2020

    Foregone conclusion

    I only looked at the result to see in what minute Man U's pen was awarded

  • Comment posted by Tony, at 10:28 11 Aug 2020

    What a performance by Karl-Johan Johnson but not sufficient to help the rest of his team score some goals and win the match. With Copenhagen parking the bus it was always going to be difficult for Utd to break them down. In such cases it made sense to run at them and get fouled (or appear to get fouled) in the box. Hence, Utd gained their much needed & regularly occuring penalty to win the game.

  • Comment posted by me who knows you know, at 10:11 11 Aug 2020

    The eponymous penalty, who’d of thought it.

  • Comment posted by Cornwall Spurs, at 10:29 11 Aug 2020

    How many more penalties to united need to win the Europe League?

  • Comment posted by Supcon98, at 10:23 11 Aug 2020

    It must be hard being a Utd fan right now, they have fallen so far from where they were, and at the same time watched their 2 bitterest rivals surge past and leave them well behind. It was pitiful and embarrassing watching Utd labour to a win (via another very dodgy VAR pen) against a rank average outfit in Copenhagen. I say this as a non Man City or Liverpool fan, before all the haters start.

As It Stood

A

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Sevilla65011431115
2Apoel Nicosia6312108210
3FK Qarabag6123811-35
4F91 Dudelange6114818-104

B

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Malmö FF632186211
2FC Copenhagen62315419
3Dynamo Kyiv61417707
4Lugano603325-33

C

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1FC Basel6411124813
2Getafe640284412
3FK Krasnodar6303711-49
4Trabzonspor6015311-81

D

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1LASK6411114713
2Sporting6402117412
3PSV Eindhoven6222912-38
4Rosenborg6015311-81

E

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Celtic6411106413
2CFR Cluj640264212
3Lazio620469-36
4Rennes611458-34

F

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Arsenal6321147711
2Frankfurt6303810-29
3Standard Liege6222810-28
4Vitória Guimarães6123710-35

G

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1FC Porto631289-110
2Rangers62318629
3Young Boys62228718
4Feyenoord612379-25

H

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Espanyol6321124811
2Ludogorets6222101008
3Ferencvárosi TC614157-27
4CSKA Moscow612339-65

I

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1KAA Gent6330117412
2Wolfsburg632197211
3Saint-Étienne604268-24
4Oleksandria6033610-43

J

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Istanbul Basaksehir631279-210
2Roma623112669
3B Mgladbach622269-38
4RZ Pellets WAC612378-15

K

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Sporting Braga6420159614
2Wolves6411115613
3Slovan Bratislava61141013-34
4Besiktas6105615-93

L

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Man Utd6411102813
2AZ Alkmaar623115879
3Partizan Belgrade6222101008
4FC Astana6105419-153
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