Manchester United v AS Roma - UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4
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Wayne Rooney placed the immediate spotlight on Bruno Fernandes after Manchester United staged a dramatic comeback against Roma in the Champions League.
Roma were 2-0 up against Manchester United inside the opening 20 minutes at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening after Matias Soule and Donyell Malen both scored.
However, Michael Carrick’s men managed to turn around their faltering momentum in the second half and Bruno Fernandes helped spark Tuesday’s comeback result.
Fernandes saw his initial spot-kick effort saved by Devis Vasquez before the Man Utd captain earned a reprieve after he was able to retake his penalty kick on Tuesday.
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Wayne Rooney says Bruno Fernandes’ ‘passion’ in the first half paid off with how Man Utd mirrored it in the second half
Bruno Fernandes reduced the deficit after Devis Vasquez was unable to deny the 32-year-old Portuguese midfielder from the penalty spot for the second time. Michael Carrick’s side then stunned Roma after Matheus Cunha turned the tables in the Champions League encounter thanks to his impactful brace.
Fernandes initially struggled to inject his influence into the Roma match in the first half and lost his cool in the 20th minute of the Champions League clash. Referee Jesus Gil Manzano booked both Fernandes and Matias Soule after their heated confrontation and subsequent altercation in Manchester United’s encounter with Roma.
Speaking after United’s comeback win, Wayne Rooney could see why the Red Devils midfielder was emotionally charged during his incident with Matias Soule. However, Man Utd’s all-time leading scorer suggested that Fernandes’ “passion” in the first half was different in the second half because of how the Red Devils matched his energy.
“Bruno Fernandes has shown a bit of passion in defending himself on what he thought was right, but more importantly we have seen that passion and fight on the pitch because the first half was terrible,” Rooney said on Amazon Prime Video, as per BBC Sport.
“The first half had none of what we saw in the second half. No passion, no tackling, no getting to the ball, no aggression, and the complete opposite of the second half.
“And when that happens in the second half, you see the crowd get behind the team and you [feel] like they were going to win the game.”
Matheus Cunha produced Man Utd’s equaliser in the 83rd minute before the 27-year-old Brazilian forward scored the crucial winner for the Red Devils three minutes later. The Brazil international was sent off in injury time after he picked up a second yellow card, having initially been booked for taking his shirt off after his brace.