April 11, (THEWILL) – Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana committed two crucial mistakes that cost his team victory in their Europa League quarter-final first leg against Lyon on Thursday evening. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the return fixture at Old Trafford next week.
Onana, who had previously stated that United were “way better” than their French opponents, failed to keep out Thiago Almada’s 25th-minute free-kick, which floated over a crowd of players directly into the net. United fought back and equalised through defender Leny Yoro, who scored his first goal for the club when he reacted quickly to head in from Manuel Ugarte’s mishit volley just before half-time.
The second half saw Lyon create significant opportunities through Alexander Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso, while United relied primarily on counter-attacking play. Joshua Zirkzee appeared to have won the match for United when he headed home from Bruno Fernandes’ cross in the 88th minute, giving Ruben Amorim’s side what looked to be a late advantage.
However, Onana’s evening of misfortune continued when he could only parry Georges Mikautadze’s close-range attempt into the path of Rayan Cherki, who cleverly finished to make it 2-2 with virtually the final kick of the match. The late equaliser means both teams head into the second leg on level terms.
United manager Ruben Amorim will take some positives from his team’s determination to overcome adversity, but will be concerned by their defensive vulnerabilities and Onana’s form in particular. The return leg at Old Trafford next Thursday will determine which team progresses to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
