MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United supporters briefly stopped Tuesday’s Champions League match against Roma at Old Trafford by throwing tennis balls onto the field in a protest aimed at the club’s owners, and by the final whistle the same crowd was celebrating a 3-2 comeback win.
Before kickoff, fans in the Stretford End sent up green and gold balloons to protest the Glazer family’s ownership. With about 20 minutes played, a pause in the action gave supporters a chance to toss the balls and other items onto the pitch. Players, including Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, cleared them away and the delay was short.
United were already in trouble. Matias Soule finished a counterattack in the 11th minute after a turnover, and Donyell Malen converted a penalty six minutes later after a shot struck Ayden Heaven’s arm, putting Roma up 2-0. The home side was booed off at halftime.
Bruno Fernandes started the turnaround in the 58th minute. His first penalty attempt was saved, but the referee ordered a retake for encroachment and the captain buried the second try.
Cunha then scored twice in a three-minute span late in the match, the first in the 83rd minute after a Roma defender missed a clearance on a Fernandes cross. Cunha was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time, and United held on with 10 men.
The result eased pressure on manager Michael Carrick, whose team had gone nine games without a win and came in with one victory from three Champions League matches.
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