Wolfsburg vs. Manchester United: Score and Reaction from 2015 Champions League

Manchester United are out of the Champions League after dramatically losing 3-2 to Wolfsburg in Germany on Tuesday and now face Thursday nights in the Europa League.

Anthony Martial ended his goal drought, but the Bundesliga outfit quickly equalised through Naldo before Vieirinha put them ahead, while Jesse Lingard had a goal disallowed.

The visitors looked to have saved themselves when Josuha Guilavogui headed into his own net, but moments later Naldo grabbed a second to condemn United to UEFA's second-tier competition.

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Unlike many of United's recent outings, the match was often an entertaining, end-to-end affair as the Red Devils pushed forward and Wolfsburg remained a threat on the break, with United's fate frequently changing throughout the game.

The visitors were given an early let-off when Andre Schurrle blasted a wild half-volley over the bar, and then they scored from their first real chance after 10 minutes when Martial raced on to Juan Mata's through ball and calmly slotted past the 'keeper.

United's lead lasted just three minutes, though, as Wolfsburg pulled level through centre-back Naldo who coolly volleyed in Ricardo Rodriguez's excellent free-kick.

Both sides alternated attacks as they sought to get in front, with Vieirinha and Marouane Fellaini coming close for their respective teams.

The hosts then scored a goal of exceptional quality, as Draxler charged into the box via a lovely one-two with Max Kruse before slipping the ball to Vierinha to tap in.

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Wolfsburg continued to hit the Red Devils on the break, and Draxler forced another save from David De Gea after weaving his way into the area once again.

As the half drew to a close, Lingard was controversially denied an equaliser when his cross found its way into the back of the net, as Mata—who did not touch the ball but was clearly offside—was correctly deemed to be interfering with play as he hindered Diego Benaglio's view of the ball.

Squawka Football shared the stats at half-time:

After a slow start, the second period was even more frantic than the first thanks also to the twists and turns occurring in PSV's match with CSKA Moscow, per football writer Nick Miller:

De Gea kept the visitors in contention with two magnificent saves to deny Schurrle, while Kruse sent a volley narrowly wide and Memphis Depay did the same with a free-kick at the other end.

United finally pulled level with eight minutes of normal time remaining when Guilavogui, in trying to clear a downward header from Fellaini, sent the ball past Benaglio and into his own net.

However, their joy lasted mere moments when Naldo popped up to head home a corner. Squawka Football highlighted the incredible drama:

The Red Devils desperately threw the kitchen sink at the Bundesliga side, but to no avail as they failed to find a way back into the game.

Dropping into the Europa League has the potential to be disastrous for United—while an excellent trophy, the bloated format of the competition and playing on Thursday nights often prove a huge test even for clubs with large squads, so their domestic form could suffer the longer they remain in it.

Post-Match Reaction

According to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News and the Guardian's Daniel Taylor, United boss Louis van Gaal defended his side and the progress he believes they have made under him:

The Dutchman will now be under pressure from United supporters after failing to qualify from a fairly favourable group. One sliver of encouragement they may take from the game is that United have finally shown they're capable of producing excitement.

In order to ease the fans' frustrations, the Red Devils will need to continue to do so and pick up the right results in the Premier League to maintain their title challenge.