Europa League: Manchester United miseries continue as Astana beat Premier League giants 2-1
Astana came from behind to beat a youthful Manchester United side 2-1 in the Europa League on Thursday, benefiting from an own goal in the second half.
United defender Di’Shon Bernard, one of three teenagers who made their senior debut for the English team, deflected a shot by Antonio Rukavina into his own net in the 62nd for what proved to be the winning goal.
It was the first loss of the Europa League campaign for United, which had already secured a spot in the knockout stage and leads Group L with 10 points. Alkmaar had a chance to overtake United when it played Partizan Belgrade later.
Astana is last despite earning its first three points.
Lingard marked his first game as United captain with a low shot from outside the area for his first goal of the season 10 minutes into the game, which was played on an artificial surface.
Dmitri Shomko equalized for Astana in the 55th, the first goal United had conceded in the campaign, just seconds after another teenager, Tahith Chong, failed to hit an open net from close range at the other end.
Ethan Laird and Dylan Levitt also made their first start in a United team that had an average age of 21.6 years, including 36-year-old goalkeeper Lee Grant.
Krasnodar boosted its hopes of advancing from Group C by beating already qualified Basel 1-0. The Russian side is tied for second on nine points with Getafe, which won 1-0 at Trabzonspor.
A total of 17 teams could book a spot in the Round of 32 spot on Thursday, including Arsenal, Wolverhampton and Bundesliga leader Borussia Mönchengladbach.
