Manchester United’s goalkeeper Andre Onana endured one night to forget, because two expensive errors allowed Lyon to seize a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their quarter-final of the Europa League on Thursday. The Cameroon International has enabled Thiago Almada the free kick of Thiago Almada to pass it day after being called “one of the worst goalkeepers” in the history of United in an avant-match spray involving the former midfielder of Club Nemanja Matic, now with Lyon. Adolescent defender Leny Yoro equalized just before half-time and the head of Joshua Zirkzee in the 88th minute seemed to have won the match for United at the Groupama stadium.
But Onana did not manage to hold the low blow of Georges Mikautadze deep in the time of stopping and Rayan Cherki brought the rebound to the house, leaving equality in the balance before the confrontation of return to Trafford next week.
The manager of United, Ruben Amorim, was quick to defend Onana and turn his attention to the return match.
“It can happen. If you play football and we play a lot of matches, you can make mistakes,” he said. “I can’t say anything to Andre at the moment that will help.”
“We have one more game to change everything and it should be our goal,” he added.
United’s ability to rebuild a team in danger of the club’s worst high flight finish since the relegation in 1974 probably depends on sealing a return to the Champions League.
Winning the Europa League is the only way they can qualify for the elite competition. Not doing it should cost United at least 100 million pounds sterling (127.6 million dollars) at a time when the club’s financial margin is already minimal.
To the extent of the extent to which the two clubs, especially United, fell, it was their first meeting since the last 16 of the 2007-08 Champions League.
At the time, the two were at their heights. United then won his third European crown. Lyon picked up the last of the seven consecutive French titles.
Perhaps no player has encapsulated the interior problems of United this term that Rasmus Hojlund, whose five goals in Europe are more numerous than the three he managed in the Premier League.
The Denmark striker eradicated a horribly wide inviting chance of the Patrick Dorgu Cup while United was gradually starting to threaten, with the defender of Lyon Moussa Niakhate obtaining a key touch to divert a clear effort from Bruno Fernandes on the bar.
Onana the center of attention
Any time that United had built was dissipated when Onana failed to prevent Almada’s free kick. The goalkeeper was already under the spotlight after the jibe of Matic.
The spicy reprimand of the former midfielder came in response to Oneana saying that the Red Devils were “much better” than their opponents, comments that Murim insisted was removed from his context.
Having loudly redesigned each touch, the Lyon fans enjoyed the unanana misfortune when it allowed the curly of Curling of Almada to bounce on its gloves and to nest in the most distant corner.
United equalized at the end of half-time while Manuel Ugarte hung the ball into the box after Lucas Perri struck Fernandes’ free kick, and Yoro took a look at his first goal for the club.
Alexandre Lacazette decided wide moments after his arrival at the start of the second half after a brilliant work of Mikautadze, who woven a series of defenders.
Corentin Tolisso pierced the United Defense, but shot Tamely in Onana. Perri had to react suddenly to switch from Garnacho while the Argentinian connected to the Cross of Dorgu.
Casemiro headed in the corner that results in a narrow way before Lacazette turned on another good luck for Lyon, but the drama was far from full.
Zirkzee propelled a head in front of Perri after a brilliant ball of Fernandes only so that the joy of United is interrupted in the fifth minute of the overtime when Cherki jumped on another Onana manipulation error at the level.
“I think we deserve a draw even better. We have played very well, but we know that there is a second step to come and we will go there to win, that’s all,” Cherki Plus told Canal Plus.
(This story has not been published by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a unionized flow.)
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