Onana mistakes cost Manchester United and let Lyon emerges victorious

In a remarkably unbelievable story of arrogance, André Onana emerged as the scapegoat for Manchester United, making two significant blunders that portrayed him as a fool and Nemanja Matic as a prophet.

Leading up to this match, Matic criticized Onana, labeling him one of the club's worst-ever goalkeepers in response to the 29-year-old's assertion that United was superior to Lyon. This exchange culminated in Onana's retort, highlighting his trophy wins with United—contrasting with Matic's lack of silverware during his five-year tenure at the club—before a disastrous evening concluded with yet another mistake, this time contributing to the hosts' equalizer.

In the dying moments of added time, Rayan Cherki found the net after Onana feebly deflected Corentin Tolisso’s shot directly to him. Onana's initial error was even more glaring, as a free-kick from Thiago Almada slipped past him—likely bringing delight to Matic, who remained an unused substitute.

Leny Yoro equalized at 1-1, and Joshua Zirkzee appeared to have secured a dramatic victory by heading in Bruno Fernandes’s precise cross in the 87th minute. However, following Cherki’s equalizer, the final whistle left Onana in despair and United reflecting on what could have been.

As Yoro remarked, “Conceding a goal at that moment is the worst. A 2-1 result would have been favorable away from home, but now we must secure a win at home. They are a strong team with a capable striker, and we must be prepared for anything. We defended well, maintaining our compactness, and we will need that again at home. We must stay positive—we didn’t lose tonight, and we can certainly win at Old Trafford.”

Regarding his flicked header goal, the defender stated, “I didn’t even think about it; I just reacted and aimed to get my head on the ball.” The thrilling conclusion sets the stage for an intriguing second leg next week, but given United's unpredictable nature, it remains uncertain who would bet on their ability to eliminate Lyon and advance to the semi-finals.

The exchange between Onana and Matic energized the crowd, who ignited flares and firecrackers under the sun before entering a lively stadium to jeer the goalkeeper.

A similar number of fans were on the verge of mocking Tolisso, their captain, when he attempted to intercept Fernandes's free-kick with a boot. He nearly scored an own goal against his own goalkeeper, Lucas Perri, but fortunately, the ball was cleared to safety.

Lyon identified Diogo Dalot as a target for exploitation. On two occasions, diagonal passes left him caught off guard. The second instance allowed Georges Mikautadze to direct a header towards Tolisso, but Dalot managed to recover and clear the danger. Mikautadze then made a swift move away from Dalot, delivering a cross that was again thwarted, exposing United's right-wing-back once more.

United frequently positioned six or seven players in their defensive line due to the relentless pressure exerted by Lyon. During a rare attack down their left flank, Patrick Dorgu set up Rasmus Højlund, but the attempt resulted in a disappointing scuff, leading to a goal-kick for Lyon.

Fernandes displayed greater composure when Dalot and Alejandro Garnacho linked up on the right side, with Garnacho finding his captain in the box. Fernandes took a shot, but Perri managed to deflect it over the bar.

How Onana must have envied such reliable hands, as he faced a moment he would prefer to forget. Almada delivered a free-kick from the left into a precarious area that tests a goalkeeper's decision-making.

Onana opted not to intervene; the ball bounced in front of him and skidded away. In a moment of desperation, he reached out with a glove, inadvertently redirecting the ball into the net, akin to a practice catch gone wrong.

This blunder drew loud derision from the supporters and left United rattled, exemplified by Dalot's late challenge on Nicolás Tagliafico, which earned him a booking from Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg.