Istanbul Basaksehir record first UCL win after late goal-line clearance by Epureanu; watch

Turkish champions Istanbul Basaksehir created history against Manchester United by recording their first win in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The score at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium ended 2-1 in favour of the hosts as Man United lost their first game in the competition this season. However, Istanbul Basaksehir needed to work until the last minute of the game for their win as Alexandru Epureanu's last-gasp goal-line clearance preserved his side's lead, preventing Man United a late equalizer.

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Istanbul Basaksehir register first UCL win thanks to Alexandru Epureanu's heroics

Istanbul Basaksehir managed to hold onto their 2-1 lead in the second half as a lacklustre Man United performance helped them to their first win in the UCL. However, Okan Buruk's side needed heroics from centre-back Alexandru Epureanu, whose goal-line clearance late in the game helped keep Istanbul Basaksehir's lead intact. 

The game was into the third minute of injury time in the second half when Harry Maguire's header from Luke Shaw's corner put the ball into the danger zone. It was panic stations in the Turkish side's defence as Basasksehir's Mehmet Topal inadvertently directed the ball towards his goal. Fortunately, Champions League debutant Alexandru Epureanu was in the right place at the right time to scramble away a goal-line clearance. 

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For a brief moment, it seemed as if Man United got their equalizer to make it 2-2 but after checking his watch, the referee decided that the ball hadn't, in fact, crossed the line. Basaksehir managed to survive another Man United attack late in the game to earn their first win in the elite European competition. 

Istanbul Basaksehir vs Man United: Bizarre defending leads to Man United's first UCL defeat

Although Man United started the game on the front foot, they were made to pay for some shambolic defending when Demba Ba was left in plenty of space following a ball played over the United backline. Ba was one-on-one with goalkeeper Dean Henderson and finished smartly to give the hosts the lead just after the half-hour mark. Basaksehir then doubled their advantage through Edin Via in the 40th minute. 

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Anthony Martial grabbed a goal back for United just before the break after heading in Luke Shaw's cross. United failed to create chances in the second half and eventually suffered their first loss in the competition this season. The Red Devils previously recorded impressive wins over PSG and RB Leipzig in Group H.

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UCL results on matchday 3

• Shakhtar Donetsk 0-6 Borussia Monchengladbach

• Lokomotiv Moscow 1-1 Atletico Madrid 

• RB Salzburg 2-6 Bayern Munich 

• Real Madrid 3-2 Inter Milan 

• Manchester City 2-0 Olympiacos 

• Porto 3-0 Marseille 

• Atalanta 0-5 Liverpool 

• Midtjylland 1-2 Ajax

• Zenit 1-1 Lazio

• Barcelona 2-1 Dynamo Kyiv

• Club Brugge 0-3 Borussia Dortmund 

• Sevilla 3-2 Krasnodar

• Chelsea 3-0 Rennes

Image Credits - AP