Manchester United enter the second leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifier trailing 1-0 after a frustrating night in Bergen.
Despite dominating possession and chances, United were stunned by SK Brann’s resilience, inspired goalkeeping from Selma Panengstuen, and a match-winning header from Ingrid Stenevik.
The return leg at Leigh Sports Village on September 18 is now a high-stakes battle for history: United chasing their first-ever place in the Champions League league phase, Brann determined to build on their quarter-final run of last season. Redemption or repeat? The tie hangs in the balance.
Part I: The First Leg – A Night of Frustration in Bergen
Football is a cruel game. Ask Manchester United, who on September 11 walked into Brann Stadion, bossed the game for 75 minutes, and still trudged off the pitch a goal down. Possession? United’s. Chances? United’s. Flow, control, swagger? United again. Scoreboard? Brann 1, United 0.
It was the archetypal “smash and grab” – only this time, it wasn’t a fluke. It was SK Brann writing their own mythology in front of a record-breaking 16,019 fans, a Norwegian attendance that felt like the walls of Bergen itself had closed in on the English giants.
United’s dominance, Brann’s defiance
The numbers tell the tale of a tilted contest. Nine attempts for United, six on target, waves of pressure. And yet Brann barely blinked. Selma Panengstuen, Brann’s 20-year-old goalkeeper, played like a veteran from another planet. She clawed away Ella Toone’s curling effort, denied Melvine Malard at point-blank range, and pulled off a double save so outrageous from Dominique Janssen and Jess Park that the local commentators audibly gasped.
Marc Skinner’s frustration was etched on his face. “There was no lack of confidence tonight, but a lack of quality with our final bits,” he admitted afterwards. “We were the better team, but we didn’t win the game.”
United’s high press and slick passing carved out chance after chance. But chance after chance melted into the damp Bergen air.
A mother, a goal, a city in ecstasy
Then, in the 76th minute, the story flipped. A floated free-kick. A defensive lapse. And Ingrid Stenevik – Brann’s veteran defender, community champion, and mother – thundered a header into the back of the net.
It was her 100th game for Brann, a milestone etched in grit. She rarely scores, her personal “goal target” set jokingly at 0.05 per season. Yet on this night, she became the match-winner. The stadium erupted.
“It was an unreal experience,” Stenevik said. “I score quite rarely… for me it is incredibly nice to be the match winner today.”
That goal wasn’t just a number on a scoreboard; it was a surge of local pride, the feeling that Bergen itself had risen to meet Manchester United and found itself taller.
Panengstuen: The wall in gloves
If Stenevik gave Brann their storybook ending, it was Selma Panengstuen who had kept the pages open long enough to get there. Commentator Epha Manion called her the “best shot stopper I’ve played with.” She looked untouchable – sprawling, stretching, hurling herself like a brick wall with reflexes.
Her saves weren’t clean textbook parries; they were full-body sacrifices, followed by grimaces and limps that made it look as though she was tearing herself apart just to keep the ball out. The crowd fed on that. The team fed on that. United wilted against it.
United’s missed moment
For United, it was déjà vu. They’d suffered heartbreak in the Champions League qualifiers before – notably against PSG in 2023. This wasn’t quite the same calibre of opponent, but the cruelty felt identical: control everything, lose anyway.
Ella Toone’s frustration was palpable. Jess Park’s debut spark was dimmed by the goalkeeper’s gloves. Malard, a Champions League winner with Lyon, looked like she was waiting for someone to light the fuse. But the fuse fizzled.
Even bizarre subplots added to the sense of chaos. Players’ boots went missing in transit. Lisa Naalsund had to borrow a pair from her mother in Bergen, lacing up her old Euro Championship shoes. A tiny detail, but emblematic of a night when nothing seemed to go United’s way.
And so, as the Brann players took a lap of honour in front of their delirious fans, United trudged off with heavy legs and heavier minds. They’d played well. They’d played hard. They’d played better. And they’d lost.
Part II: The Second Leg – Redemption or Repeat?
Now the tie shifts to Leigh Sports Village. The date is September 18. The stakes are sky-high. One team will book a place in the inaugural league phase of the Women’s Champions League. The other will tumble into the newly created Women’s Europa Cup – a consolation prize at best, an embarrassment at worst.
For Manchester United, this is history on the line. The club has never reached the proper Champions League tournament. This is their shot. For Brann, it’s the chance to repeat their quarter-final heroics of 2023/24 and to prove that their Bergen miracle was no one-off.
Marc Skinner under pressure
Skinner has said all the right things. “We need to be really clinical and if we are we will win the tie,” he said after the first leg. “We should have been more ruthless, and we know that as a group.”
But he knows the pressure is squarely on him. Some supporters have already pointed fingers at his tactical decisions in Bergen. One BBC commenter wrote bluntly: “Skinner’s fault. Changed a stable and balanced back line for no reason. Look where Turner was for the header.”
At Leigh, there’s no margin for error. He will need to harness the energy of the home crowd, which he’s openly demanded: “We need our fans to turn up in great numbers and support us and make it louder than it was in here tonight and see if Brann can deal with that pressure.”
Key battles
United’s forwards vs Panengstuen (again): Ella Toone, Jess Park, Malard – all will be burning for redemption. The question is whether they can break the goalkeeper who broke their spirit in Bergen.
Midfield maestros: Lisa Naalsund faces her old teammates again. Hinata Miyazawa’s technical reading of the game must unlock Brann’s low block. On the other side, Signe Gaupset – aggressive, talented – is Brann’s heartbeat.
Set pieces: Stenevik’s goal proved United can be undone from dead-ball situations. Brann will target those moments again. United must tighten up.
Form and firepower
United’s domestic form remains sharp. Before this first leg, they’d rattled off three wins from three, nine goals scored, none conceded. Brann, meanwhile, are in the form of their lives: 10 wins in a row, 27 goals scored, just two conceded. They are not a side who sit back timidly.
Yet at Leigh, United’s intensity could make the difference. Jess Park has already shown she can disrupt defenses. Ella Toone remains the creative spark. And Malard’s pedigree as a Champions League winner with Lyon is exactly why she was signed – to deliver in games like this.
Brann’s belief
The Norwegian champions will arrive in Manchester with nothing to fear. Their game plan worked once. Why not again? Their goalkeeper is in career-defining form. Their defense held against a barrage. Their fans may not outnumber United’s, but their spirit is undeniable.
And then there’s Ingrid Stenevik. Having scored the winner in Bergen, she will walk onto the Leigh pitch knowing she has already etched her name into Brann history. What happens if she dares to dream bigger?
The emotional pulse at Leigh Sports Village
This tie is about more than tactics. It’s about emotion, growth, and the unstoppable rise of women’s football. The record-breaking crowd in Norway was proof. Marc Skinner acknowledged it: “You only come to watch United,” he joked, but the bigger truth was obvious – this sport is surging forward.
Now, Leigh Sports Village must answer Bergen. The fans must roar. The players must respond. And the story must either end in redemption or repeat heartbreak.
So what happens on September 18?
If Manchester United find their shooting boots, this could be a night of catharsis – a 3-1 win, a comeback for the ages, and a ticket punched into the Champions League proper. If they falter, if Panengstuen repeats her heroics, if Brann’s low block becomes a brick wall once again, then United’s dream will shatter at the gates.
Football doesn’t care about “deserving.” It only cares about results. United were the better team in Bergen. They didn’t win. Now they must be the better team in Manchester – and they must win.
Redemption or repeat? History will decide on September 18.
doragon sports 