UEFA Women's Champions League: Manchester United Women stunned 1-0 at SK Brann after dominant display

A night of control, a punch to the gut

Manchester United Women ran the game, owned the ball, and carved out the better chances. They still left Norway beaten 1-0 by SK Brann in the first leg of their third-round qualifier—another reminder that European ties can turn on one moment. In front of a record home crowd, the hosts survived wave after wave of pressure before landing a late set-piece blow that changes the tone of this tie. For United, who are still chasing a first group-stage appearance in the modern era, the margin for error has shrunk.

The pattern formed quickly. United pressed high, moved the ball with speed, and asked questions down both flanks. Anna Sandberg found joy down the left and whipped in a dangerous cross early on, with Elisabeth Terland glancing a header just wide. Ella Toone threaded an incisive pass into Melvine Malard not long after, only for the French forward’s cross to be smothered by the goalkeeper. It felt like a matter of time.

Lisa Naalsund, facing her former club, anchored the midfield with composure and bite. One slick move summed up United’s rhythm: Naalsund pulled it back to Malard, who teed up Toone on the edge of the area. The shot was clean and true. The block from a Brann defender was better. That would become the theme—neat combinations, good positions, and a final detail missing by inches.

At the heart of Brann’s resistance stood Selma Panengstuen. The home goalkeeper was calm under crosses, sharp off her line, and strong at her near post. She parried low drives, claimed high balls, and kept her back line organized when United tried to isolate the full-backs. By half-time, she had already earned her team a platform to steal something. By full-time, she was the reason they did.

United stayed on the front foot after the break. The rotations were smooth, the runs beyond the back line well timed, and the second balls often fell red. New signing Jess Park, making her first start since joining from Manchester City, gave United extra zip in the final third. She pressed hard, carried the ball with purpose, and dragged defenders out of shape. What United lacked—again—was that clean final touch.

Brann waited for their moment and found it from a dead ball. With 14 minutes left, Signe Gaupset’s delivery hung in a nasty pocket between goalkeeper and defenders. Ingrid Stenevik attacked it with conviction and thumped her header home. The stadium erupted, the visitors were stunned, and a game that United had controlled tilted on one set play. It was the kind of goal that stays with you through the flight home.

To United’s credit, the response was immediate. Toone drove at tired legs, Malard kept asking for the ball in behind, and Terland hovered at the back post for any half-clearances. Park slid a clever pass through a crowd that almost found its target. Yet every promising moment met a red wall. Brann’s center-backs cleared their lines with no fuss, the midfield clogged passing lanes, and Panengstuen kept everything tidy. When the final whistle went, it felt like a theft—but a clean one.

Tactically, United did a lot right. They pushed the full-backs on to pin Brann deep, let Toone loiter between the lines, and gave Malard runners to connect with. Naalsund’s tempo-setting was smart: quick touches when Brann were stretched, longer switches to shift the block when lanes were crowded. Skinner’s side didn’t lose their shape in transition either; they were calm when Brann tried to break. The issue was pure end product—one more pass, one cleaner contact, one decision delayed a heartbeat too long.

Brann deserve credit for not blinking. They were organized, compact, and relentless in their duels. When they did attack, they attacked with purpose, not volume—direct runs, set pieces delivered with menace, and no wasted touches. Panengstuen was the standout, but the back four’s discipline gave her a clear picture. Stenevik’s late header was the payoff for that collective focus.

There’s a bigger picture here. This tie is finely poised, and United now carry the weight of expectation into the return leg in Manchester. If they can’t flip it, the fallback is a drop into the women’s Europa Cup second qualifying round—an option, sure, but not the one they want. It would mean extra travel, a busier calendar, and a more complicated path through Europe. For a squad that wants the group-stage stage, that’s not the headline they’re chasing.

Individual performances offer both reassurance and a nudge. Park’s debut showed why she was brought in: direct, tidy, fearless. Toone found pockets and kept creating. Malard’s movement was the right kind of annoying for defenders, even if the finish wouldn’t come. Naalsund looked at home in the heat of it. Terland’s presence in the box was a constant threat. The pieces are there—United just need to stitch them together for 90 minutes next week.

So what changes now? The answer isn’t ripping up the plan. The approach worked for 75 minutes; the scoreline didn’t. But European ties often turn on tweaks and detail, not sweeping changes. United will likely double down on tempo, be braver with shots from the edge, and get runners attacking crosses at different heights—near post, penalty spot, and far post—rather than all arriving together.

What United must fix before the return leg

The second leg is at home, the deficit is one, and there’s time to correct the story. The jobs are clear and simple to say—harder to execute at speed when it counts.

• Finish the first big chance: United created enough to lead. One early goal changes everything—Brann’s block loosens, space opens, and the pressure flips.
• Vary the crossing picture: Mix low, cut-back, and clipped crosses; stagger the runs so one attacks the near, one waits on the spot, and one drifts late to the back post.
• Protect set pieces: Track the runners, attack the flight, and defend the space. Brann’s winner came from decisiveness; United need the same in their own box.
• Speed up around the D: Two-touch in tight areas, more first-time shots when the lane appears for a second, and fewer extra touches at the top of the box.
• Manage the emotional beats: Don’t get impatient if the goal doesn’t come early. Keep the structure, trust the patterns, and press with control.

For Brann, the plan is clear too: defend the box, slow the game when possible, and trust the set pieces. Panengstuen’s calm has become a rallying point, and Stenevik’s leadership at both ends will matter even more away from home. They’ll expect more pressure in Manchester and will try to turn it into a scrap when needed.

This tie also speaks to where United sit in Europe right now. They have the quality, the patterns, and the squad depth to bully games like this. What they’re still proving is the ruthless edge to finish them off. European campaigns are built on those details—box defending, big saves, and one player grabbing the moment. On this night, Brann had the moment.

None of that changes what the second leg can be: loud, tense, and there to be won. United have the ball speed and the creativity to turn this around. One goal levels the tie. Two goals flip it. But they need to bring the same control, add cleaner decisions in the final third, and cut out the one mistake that lets a set piece decide the narrative.

All eyes now move to Manchester, where the volume will rise and the stakes will bite. The path to the UEFA Women's Champions League group stage is still open. It’s just a little steeper than it needed to be.