Melvine Malard secures Manchester United draw against Paris St-Germain

Outmuscled, outthought, and outplayed before the break, Manchester United rallied, and their Champions League adventure will continue into the group stage if they are braver from the outset of the return leg.

As their debut in the big time of elite continental competition Marc Skinner and his women can take succour from a second half here that pinned Paris Saint-Germain back, and provides the blueprint for the manager’s team talk next week.

United went behind to Tabitha Chawinga’s breakaway strike on 54 minutes yet remained calm, moved upfield, and had the on-loan Melvine Malard, on as a replacement, equalise to leave the tie poised enticingly.

Watched by Sarina Wiegman, pedigree suggested PSG would come here undaunted as veterans of two finals (2015 and ‘17) and dominate, which they did before Skinner’s replacements, Malard and Geyse (each Champions League-victors), spun fortunes United’s way.

Skinner was bullish pre-match and angry as soon as Frida Klarlund blew to commence the leg. United were wide open – all half, it would prove – as Tabitha Chawinga enjoyed yards of grass to run into along the left, took aim, and with Mary Earps stranded, the shot was cleared off the line by Katie Zelem.

Skinner, exasperated, next saw Lieke Martens find Sandy Baltimore with ease and Earps, this time, repelled for a corner. Two of these ensued, United escaped, but were overrun, and in need of someone to take hold of the ball and calm the tempo. But they had no one up to this and so what Skinner warned of – PSG’s penchant for squeezing the play and taking charge – became the pattern.

As the home crowd chanted “we want Glazers out” and United, at last, managed an upfield foray Oriane Jean-François collapsed and was stretchered off, the defender holding her shirt over her face in distress. This did not disrupt PSG. Earps, again, had to fling herself high to beat away a fierce Baltimore effort, the No 21 cutting in from the left.

United’s strategy was to have to cling on and hope for a lucky break and they nearly received the latter. Jean-François’s replacement, Clare Hunt, tipped a weak pass back for Constance Picaud that forced the visiting goalkeeper to take out the onrushing Lucía García: United yelled for a penalty but Klarlund, surprisingly, was unmoved.

So was the score at half-time though Jocelyn Prêcheur had the far simpler interval chat: his women had bombarded the hosts, the Gabby George toe that barely stopped Baltimore unloading from near-in emblematic. While Hannah Blundell, at centre-back, had a loser’s medal from her time at Chelsea, Skinner left out Geyse, a winner with Barcelona last season, but he moved to remedy this for the second half.

If the hope was that the Brazilian would add experience and class, a mazy run and blaze at goal was a fair start. Another dribble across the PSG D followed and already the French were answering far more questions than previously.

Those in red were scattering their opponent, too, a Picaud hoof straight out showing how rushed they were. But, now, disaster struck: a quick break and PSG applied a sucker-punch, Chawinga skating through and coolly beating Earps.

The French bench flooded the touchline in celebration, United’s retreated. Seconds later, at a corner, Élisa De Almeida was the subject of a handball shout but she escaped.

Garcia, Geyse, and Leah Galton were a frontline intent on doing what PSG did – suffocate the rearguard and prosper from there.

Galton, first, went closest, her curving inside run from the left ending with a shot that diced with the side-netting.

Now, though, Malard intervened to make next Wednesday, at Stade Jean-Bouin, fascinating.