In a dramatic Europa League match, Manchester United‘s André Onana committed two costly errors, allowing Lyon to earn a 2-2 draw at the Groupama Stadium. The tie is now poised for next week’s second leg, with United needing to overcome a two-goal deficit to progress.
The controversy began before the match, with Nemanja Matic branding Onana one of United’s poorest-ever keepers. The goalkeeper responded by claiming he had won trophies at United, unlike Matic. The spat fueled the crowd, who let off flares and firecrackers and barracked Onana throughout the match.
Onana’s first mistake came when he misjudged a Thiago Almada free-kick, allowing the ball to skip past him and into the net. The crowd erupted in derision, and United’s players were rattled. Despite this, they managed to level the score before halftime, with Leny Yoro scoring his first United goal.
The match remained tense until the final minutes, when Joshua Zirkzee seemed to have sealed a United victory with a header from Bruno Fernandes’s pinpoint cross. However, Onana’s second error proved costly, as he weakly pushed Corentin Tolisso’s shot straight to Rayan Cherki, who scored the equalizer in injury time.
United’s players were left despairing, with Yoro acknowledging that conceding in the final minutes was “the worst moment.” The defender added that United would need to be ready for everything in the second leg, as Lyon are a good team with a talented striker.
The draw means that United will need to win the second leg at Old Trafford to progress in the competition. Given their erratic form, it remains to be seen whether they can overcome Lyon and reach the semi-finals.