Manchester United 3-0 SK Brann
By Catherine MacKenzie (18/9/25)
Above: United’s Elisabeth Terland celebrates her third goal. Photo: ManUtdWomen on X.
Manchester United made history on Thursday evening as they overturned a 1-0 deficit to reach the UWCL proper for the first time, beating SK Brann 3-0 at Leigh Sports Village thanks to a hat-trick from Elisabeth Terland.
The context
Manchester United had the opportunity to do something they have never done before: reach the first round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Two years ago, they had the same chance but faced a foe at the top of their game in PSG, failing to qualify for the competition proper. United feel they belong in the UWCL – as head coach Marc Skinner said:
“We’re constantly improving, and playing in the Champions League is part of that growth. It’s a platform to test ourselves and push to the next level. We’re not just here to compete; we want to progress and show that Manchester United belongs at the top.”
Skinner’s side controlled the first leg in Norway last week but trailed on aggregate ahead of the return match. Against the run of play, Ingrid Stenevik struck a 76th-minute header to hand Brann the lead. United had a number of chances, with goalkeeper Selma Panengstuen delivering an impressive performance to deny them. They needed more composure up front – and to get around Panengstuen – to overcome the deficit.
For Brann, it would be their second appearance in the UWCL. The Norwegian club made it to the quarter-finals just two years ago, falling to FC Barcelona. They sit top of their domestic league, which runs until November, and remain favourites for the title. At the helm is Leif Smerud, who took charge after Martin Ho departed to join WSL side Tottenham Hotspur.
The teams
Marc Skinner made two changes to the Manchester United lineup following their win against London City Lionesses over the weekend. Dominique Janssen replaced the injured Millie Turner, while Celin Bizet was absent due to a minor issue. As a precaution, Bizet was left out of the squad. Elisabeth Terland returned to the starting lineup.
The Brann team that triumphed 1-0 over United in Norway last week saw just one change. Monica Isaksen was brought into the starting lineup, taking the place of Dilja Zomers, who moved to the bench.
The action
Brann are known for playing aggressively in their domestic league, however started against United with a low block. They were clumsy in the opening minutes, giving the ball away in their own half, insisting on building up from the back with short passes that were easy for United to intercept.
In contrast, United flew out of the block, immediately pressing with aggression. Brann were defending in a narrow shape which gave the home side plenty of space on the wings to cross balls in. It did not take long for United to take the lead: Norwegian Elisabeth Terland won the ball in the penalty area, passing to Jayde Riviere on the wing. Riviere put a well-weighted cross back in which found its way to Terland who fired a powerful shot into the top corner. Terland got her second five minutes later as she latched on to Julia Zigiotti Olme’s corner, sending a header flying past Panengstuen.
The rest of the half persisted in a similar vein: United pressing aggressively and Brann sitting in a deep block with eleven players behind the ball. Throughout the half, the visitors insisted on continuing to play out from the back – which gave United numerous opportunities to The Red Devils did well to find the spaces between the lines but couldn’t quite break the Brann defense down throughout the rest of the half, and Brann survived the rest of the half without further damage.
Following the break, Brann showed a sense of impetus that had been missing for the first half of the game. They pushed their wide players forward, giving United more defensive work to do – a few corners later, United broke out of the press and got the ball back into Brann’s half. United will be pleased that after a half with no work to do, the back line maintained their concentration enough to deal with the team in front of them.
Following a string of chances, Terland completed her perfect hat-trick: the first was scored with her left foot, second with her head, and third with her right foot. The goal came from some neat link-up play between the Norwegian and Melvine Malard. Malard drove forward, and Terland made the overlapping run to latch onto the through ball and poked it past Panengstuen.
Where does this leave the teams?
United made history by reaching the UWCL proper for the first time, and will compete alongside the best teams in Europe. The achievement is both expected and exceptional: United are most often a club that makes headlines due to off-pitch scandal rather than on-pitch achievements. The question now is whether the team have enough depth to sustain runs in a number of competitions – something Skinner has admitted will need to be addressed in the January transfer window.
Brann will be disappointed with how quickly their lead disappeared – they will now take part in the inaugural Europa Cup. However, it is not all negative – head coach Smerud should end the season with the league title, and his team will be strong contenders for the Cup.
TEAMS: MANCHESTER UNITED (4-3-3): Tullis-Joyce, Sandberg, Le Tissier, Toone, Park, Malard, Terland, Riviere, Janssen, Zigiotti, Miyazawa. Substitutes: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, George (for Sandberg 66′), Rolfö (for Malard 66′), Griffiths, Naalsund (for Riviere 78′), Williams (for Terland 83′).
Scorers: Terland 0-1 (8′), 0-2 (13′), 0-3 (62′)
SK BRANN (4-3-3): Panengstuen; Stenevik, Authen, Tynnilä, Lehtola, Bogere, Haugland, Gaupset, Davidson, Isaksen, Eikeland. Substitutes: Stavenes, Kvamme (for Stenevik 87′), Thorisdottir, Ellingsen, Renmark, Lovera (for Isaksen 67′), Zomers (for Davidson 87′), Lie Eghdami, Birkelund (for Tynnilä 87′), Svendheim, Peuhkurinen (for Bogere 46′), Johnsen.
Referee: Marta Huerta de Aza
Attendance: 2,972
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