Manchester United’s woes took a turn for the worse as Istanbul Basaksehir punished shambolic defending to inflict a 2-1 first Champions League defeat on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
United travelled to the Turkish capital on the back of impressive victories over Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig, but found themselves two down inside 40 minutes as strikes from Demba Ba and Edin Visca capitalised on a defensive horror show, which Solskjaer labelled “unforgivable”.
Anthony Martial’s instinctive header pulled one back before the break but it failed to inspire a second-half comeback, with a stunning stoppage-time goal-line clearance from Alexandru Epureanu denying United a point at the death.
Newcomers Basaksehir didn’t have a Champions League point or a goal to their name before kick-off but a resilient performance earned a famous and deserved first win in the tournament for the Turkish champions, as United became the first English club to lose in this season’s competition on the banks of the Bosporus.
