MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United confounded grim pre-game predictions by drawing 1-1 with Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday, with Bastian Schweinsteiger equalizing for the holders before being sent off.
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United confounded grim pre-game predictions by drawing 1-1 with Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday, with Bastian Schweinsteiger equalizing for the holders before being sent off.
Floundering in the English Premier League, United has delivered better performances in Europe this season and stunned Bayern by taking the lead against the run of play through Nemanja Vidic’s header in the 58th minute.
Bayern had dominated possession but struggled to create a clear-cut chance before Schweinsteiger arrowed a half-volley high into the net in the 67th to give the German side a slight advantage ahead of the second leg in Munich next week.
“We score away, so it’s good,” Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. “I’m happy with the result.”
Schweinsteiger blotted his performance by picking up a second yellow card in the 90th minute for a foul on Wayne Rooney and will miss the return match along with fellow midfielder Javi Martinez, who will also be suspended for an accumulation of bookings.
Guardiola warned that talk of United’s demise was premature — and the man who turned Barcelona into the best team in the world from 2008-12 has proved to be a good judge of football over the past few years.
The English champions are languishing in seventh place in the Premier League amid a disastrous first year under new manager David Moyes, but they have an envious European pedigree and didn’t buckle under constant pressure from Bayern.
Defending stoutly — with Vidic and right back Phil Jones particularly impressive — United had 174 passes in the game compared to Bayern’s 701 but actually created the better of the chances. Danny Welbeck will rue the moment he was sent clean through in the 40th, capitalizing on Jerome Boateng’s defensive mistake, but fluffed a chip into the goalkeeper’s arms rather than going for a truer strike.
Bayern played the prettier football, as expected, but United goalkeeper David de Gea barely had a shot to save before or after Schweinsteiger’s sweetly struck effort from Mario Mandzukic’s nod-down.
“Tonight’s performance was more than you’d hope for,” Moyes said. “Hopefully tonight shows we will go there and go toe to toe with them.
“Our best football has been in this competition and we will need to show our best football next week.”
The night’s other quarterfinal first leg also finished 1-1, with Barcelona coming from a goal down to draw at home to Atletico Madrid.