Nightmare start! Manchester United concede after just 50 seconds in Madrid. VIDEO
Manchester United's Champions League trip to Madrid could hardly have started worse. The Red Devils found themselves trailing Atlético Madrid after just 50 seconds of Tuesday's league phase clash at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
Details: The opening goal arrived before most fans had even settled into their seats. Footage captured the scoreboard showing 0:50 on the clock with the score already ATM 1-0 MUN, leaving Michael Carrick's side chasing the game from the opening minute in one of the most hostile away venues in European football.
The capitulation could not have come at a worse moment for Carrick, whose team arrived in Spain on a four match winless run in all competitions and with just one Premier League victory all season, their worst start to a campaign in 40 years. Patrick Dorgu, Benjamin Sesko, Manuel Ugarte and Matthijs de Ligt all missed out through injury, further stretching a squad already low on confidence.
For Diego Simeone, the dream start was the perfect response to the week's emotional backdrop. Before kickoff the Metropolitano fell silent in memory of Ana Merodio Borja, the mother of captain Koke, who passed away on Tuesday morning, with both teams wearing black armbands. Atlético had won four straight matches coming in and scored at least twice in each of their previous four home games.
History was also on Atlético's side. The last competitive meeting between these sides came in the 2021-22 Champions League round of 16, when Simeone's men eliminated United 2-1 on aggregate, and United have won only one of their previous six encounters with the Spanish club.
It's worth noting that this article is being written while the match is still in progress, and the fast start has set social media alight, with one viral post summing up United's collapse in the simplest terms possible.
Reminder: Mourning before Champions League battle: tragedy strikes Atlético captain's family.
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
