Sometimes it is easy to forget how relatively new Manchester United are to the women’s game.
They only announced an intention to join the English second tier in 2018, after years of being criticised for failing to have a women’s team.
While United were winning the Women’s Championship in 2018-19, Bayern were charging to the Champions League last four, where they were beaten by Barcelona.
United simply do not have the history their name suggests, which was probably a reason why they looked so spooked by conceding such an early opener, so early. In fact, the scoreboard was still going through the teams as Harder’s shot nestled in the bottom corner.
Their stressed and hurried play was epitomised by Millie Turner, normally such a calm figure. Trying to play a routine pass back to goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce from just inside her own half, under little pressure, she ballooned it out for a corner.
A second for Bayern in that period would have been calamitous.
But the hosts held on and by the time Le Tissier levelled, they looked the more dangerous side.
Sadly, their threat didn’t materialise into a goal until after Harder had got her second.
Lundkvist’s header in a crowded six-yard box seemed as though it would salvage a draw and give Skinner’s team genuine hope in Munich next week.
But United lacked the game nous to see out a draw. Hinata Miyazawa – one of Japan’s Asian Cup-winning heroes, who had dashed back to play for United – was among the frustrated home players as her international team-mate Tanikawa, who didn’t get off the bench in the final against Australia, had the final word.