Manchester United’s Champions League clash with Roma was stopped after fans threw objects onto the pitch in protest at the club’s ownership after an ’embarrassing’ start to the match
Manchester United’s Champions League clash with Roma was briefly stopped after fans threw objects onto the pitch in protest at the club’s ownership.
The Red Devils’ disastrous start to the season continued at Old Trafford on Tuesday night as shocking defending saw the Serie A side take a 2-0 lead inside 17 minutes.
On an already fractious night, with Michael Carrick’s job hanging by a thread and United nine games without a win heading into the clash, fans staged protests inside Old Trafford.
Make sure you never miss the most fun content in sport by making the Daily Star one of your Google preferred sources.
Green and gold balloons were released by fans in the Stretford End before kick-off, and 20 minutes into the game, a break in play saw fans take the moment to throw tennis balls onto the pitch.
Tennis balls and other objects were launched onto the pitch as Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo kicked and removed the thrown projectiles off the pitch as the game waited to restart.
United entered the Roma clash with just one win from three Champions League games as their qualification bid hangs in the balance. And the task became even harder when Matias Soule opened the scoring following more shocking defending.
Kobbie Mainoo cheaply gave possession away and Diogo Dalot was caught as the highest player forward, allowing Soule to ghost into the vacant left-back void and have the freedom of Old Trafford to bury his effort.
Just six minutes later, Ayden Heaven conceded a penalty for handball, which former Aston Villa forward Donyell Malen converted to double Roma’s lead in the 17th minute.
Ahead of kick-off, 4,000 green and yellow balloons were handed out to fans in the Stretford End at Old Trafford as part of a demonstration against the club’s hierarchy, organised by a group known as the Stretford Enders.
The display was timed to coincide with the flags in that section of the ground when the Champions League anthem rang out before kick-off.
The green and gold colours hark back to those originally worn by Newton Heath, the club that would eventually become Manchester United.
They have long served as a symbol of protest against the Glazer family and have been a familiar sight at the Theatre of Dreams since demonstrations first took hold in 2010.