- Manchester United are on the brink of exiting the UEFA Champions League after last night’s 3-3 draw at Galatasaray
- The Red Devils must now beat Bayern Munich on the final matchday and hope Galatasaray draw at FC Copenhagen to advance to the round of 16
Manchester United are on the brink of exiting the UEFA Champions League after last night’s 3-3 draw at Galatasaray. The Red Devils did almost everything right last night in Istanbul and held a two-goal lead but errors from Andre Onana and Kerem Akturkoglu’s thunderous strike saw the match end draw.
Manchester United’s hopes of qualifying to the knockout stages were left hanging by a thread as they are bottom of Group A with four points, one below Galatasaray. Bayern Munich lead the group with 13 points after five matches. The Red Devils must now beat Bayern Munich on the final matchday and hope Galatasaray draw at FC Copenhagen to advance to the round of 16.
Speaking after the 3-3 draw in Istanbul, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag complimented his players but also criticized for not protecting a crucial lead.
Andre Onana made two errors that cost Manchester United against Galatasaray. Photo/ ESPN.
“We are winning and then we are losing. We should have taken three points. This is the same in more games – home against Galatasaray and away in Copenhagen. We played so good. So I have to make a compliment to my team but I also have to criticise the team and us as a coaching staff and me as a manager… In the Champions League you will get punished and we have to learn from that.” Sky Sports quotes Erik ten Hag.
How Manchester United Blew Up A Two-goal Lead
Manchester United travelled to Istanbul knowing very well they needed to beat Galatasaray to boost their chances of proceeding to Champions League knockout stages.
Erik ten Hag made four changes from the team that beat Everton on Sunday in the Premier League. Rasmus Hojlund returned from injury to replace Anthony Martial and Anthony was also back, replacing the suspended Marcus Rashford. Kobbie Mainoo and Diogo Dalot were all dropped to the bench with ten Hag preferring Aaron was Bissaka and Sofyan Amrabat.
The infamous Galatasaray slogan “Welcome to Hell” read at Rams Park but United were in heaven after 11 minutes of play, thanks to Alejandro Garnacho. The Argentine youngster, who scored a wonder goal during the weekend received a pass from Bruno Fernandes and took a touch before lashing the ball into the roof of the net.
Garnacho’s goal didn’t silence the Galatasaray supporters but the roars went down a bit after Bruno Fernandes added a second in the 18th minute. The Portuguese midfielder released a superb strike from outside the box that flew past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
Despite being 2-0 down, Galatasaray continued to attack in numbers and were rewarded at half-hour mark when Hakim Ziyech scored a free kick. Mauro Icardi then looked to have levelled for the hosts before half-time but an automated offside revealed he was ahead of play.
Manchester United restored their two-goal lead ten minutes after the restart, thanks to Scott McTominay who pounced on Aaron was Bissaka’s pass into the box. With the scoreline 3-1, the Red Devils looked in control until the 62nd minute when Ziyech was gifted a second goal of the evening in bizarre circumstances. Onana left many United fans furious as he flapped in Ziyech’s floating free kick.
The goal gave the hosts the platform to push for a third and they eventually got it in the 71st minute through Akturkoglu. Onana was helpless as the Turkish midfielder scored from a tight angle to send the home crowd into bedlam.
Victor Lindelof looks dejected after Manchester United blew a two-goal lead to draw at Galatasaray. Photo/ Eurosport.
Andre Onana made superb saves during the match, but his performance will be remembered for two bad mistakes that cost the team. The goalkeeper was spotted throwing his gloves off in disgust and shaking his head as he tried to come to terms with the result after the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the match.
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