Man United made the best of the poor conditions in Rostov and came away with a score draw which gives them a slender advantage heading into the second leg.
The visitors dominated the opening part of the match but were unable to muster any clear-cut chances as Rostov held firm.
The poor state of the pitch meant that any football on display wasn't to the highest standard and the ball spent a fair part of the first half airborne.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan opened the scoring in the 35th minute after good build-up play from Marouane Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic allowed the Armenian to poke home from close range.
The visitors held onto their lead until half-time.
Picture by: Denis Tyrin/AP/Press Association Images
The home side upped the ante in the second half and their determination was rewarded after a beautiful finish from Bukharov after a pinpoint ball was played over the United defence.
Both teams clearly wanted to win the game but again the state of the pitch didn't lend itself to any sort of sustained attack with balls pumped long more often than played short.
FT: Rostov 1 #MUFC 1. Mkhitaryan's opener gives us a crucial away goal to take back to Old Trafford. #UEL pic.twitter.com/dqfhCUP5E9
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 9, 2017
After the equaliser there were no real clear-cut attempts on target and the teams will head into the second leg at Old Trafford with it all to play for.
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