Mourinho blasts wastefulness but absolves Blind of blame
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho blasted his side’s wastefulness after they succumbed to a last-..
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho blasted his side’s wastefulness after they succumbed to a last-gasp Basel winner and missed the chance to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The visitors failed to conjure a breakthrough which their first-half dominance perhaps warranted and paid the ultimate price in the 89th minute as Michael Lang netted a decisive strike.
Despite suffering their first Champions League defeat of the season, United remain top of Group A and the only way they will not progress to the knockout phase is if they lose by six goals to CSKA Moscow in their final group match on 5 December.
“We should have been 5-0 up in the first half,” said Mourinho. “We were dominant in such an easy way that it looks like for many periods that it was impossible not to win.
“But experience tells you that when you lose so many chances that you put yourself in this situation. In the majority of the second half the feeling was 0-0, it’s okay, but they scored in the last minute.”
Full-back Daley Blind was quick to admit his culpability for the goal at full-time after Lang was allowed behind the United defence to meet Raoul Petretta’s cross. But Mourinho was happy to absolve the Dutch defender.
Mourinho added: “I don’t think it is fair for him to blame himself because he had a very positive game and we have to blame everyone on the pitch because we missed so many chances that we put ourselves in this risky situation.”
