Bruno Fernandes missed another crucial penalty kick against AC Milan on Saturday, with the shot sailing wide of Torriani’s net. This absolute gut-punch came after he already flubbed one during a shootout against Leeds United earlier this week, making it a seriously concerning trend for Manchester United as they wrap up their preseason. You just can’t have your most reliable penalty taker struggling like this when the Premier League season is right around the corner.
What’s Up With That Spot Kick?
Talk about a deja vu nightmare. In the midweek draw with Leeds, Fernandes shot wide in the shootout. Then, against AC Milan in Wroclaw, Poland, he got a spot kick during the game itself after Milan totally messed up playing out from the back and De Winter shoved Tielemans. Fernandes fired to Torriani’s right, but it wasn’t tight enough to the corner, and the Milan keeper made a brilliant save. My word, the guy who’s been a sure thing from the spot for United for ages is suddenly struggling. This is raising some major red flags! Earlier in the match, Fernandes also slashed a shot over the bar from a glorious raking ball by Luke Shaw, proving it wasn’t just penalties that were off.
An Early Lead Fizzles Out
United actually got off to a good start in the friendly, with Harry Maguire scoring an early header to put them up. But they just couldn’t kick on from there, and Milan definitely earned their equalizer. Samuel Chukwueze leveled things up for Milan after a really scruffy goal for United to concede. There was a collision between Maguire and Andrey Santos, leaving both guys on the turf. That opened the door for Jashari to advance, who fed Ramos, and he unselfishly squared it for Chukwueze to finish at the back post. United keeper S. Lammens had to be alert, too, denying Ruben Loftus-Cheek early on, showing Milan was pushing hard. The second half started with a bang, with A. Heaven laying a bone-shuddering challenge on Loftus-Cheek.
Manchester United is now wrapping up their preparations for the 2026/27 Premier League season, which means Michael Carrick’s first full season at the helm is officially about to kick off. He took over midway through last season after Ruben Amorim, who’s now coaching Milan, was relieved of his duties. This friendly reunion had plenty of intrigue, especially with Marcus Rashford featuring for United for the first time in over a year and a half after being loaned to Aston Villa and then Barcelona. As United looks ahead, they really need to get their penalty game sorted and ensure confidence is high before the real games start.
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Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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