“Your nightmare is back again’ said one of the banners at Galatasaray’s Rams Park. For André Onana, who is making a habit of Champions League howlers, it is true again.
After blunders in the game against Bayern Munich away and Galatasaray already this season, the Cameroon goalkeeper made two critical errors to present the Turkish champions a 3-3 draw in Istanbul on Wednesday and go away Manchester United’s Champions League hopes placing through a thread.
Erik Ten Hag’s group twice had the recreation received at 2-0 and 3-1 up, however with one spherical of fixtures left, they are anchored to the backside of Group A. Only a group as frail as this United One should rate 9 dreams in three European away video games and fail to win any of them.
Champions League Impact
In their 5 Champions League video games this season, they’ve conceded 14 goals. Only Royal Antwerp, who have misplaced every sport in the crew stage, have conceded more.
“We win and lose together,” Ten Hag stated after the match, refusing to blame Onana, his £43 million summertime signing from Inter Milan. “You see the growth in this team. I take many positives from this game. Some mistakes, however, but we performed like I desired my crew to play. It used to be fun to watch that: proactive, dynamic, courageous and we scored magnificent goals. Even after we had some setbacks, we saved going till the stop and we ought to have received large probabilities from Scott McTominay and Facundo Pellistri.
“Of course, I am disillusioned due to the fact we need to manage the sport better, we will study from that.”
The largest frustration for Ten Hag will be that earlier than Onana‘s mistakes, his gamers had achieved the tough bit and, for giant spells, had been aways the higher team. The groups walked out onto a sodden pitch after torrential rain in the Turkish capital for more than 24 hours and were greeted with a massive banner that said “Welcome to hell,” however United had quietened the fiery surroundings in the stadium internally the first 20 minutes.
First, it used to be Alejandro Garnacho who, after an overhead kick for a long time toward Everton on Sunday, had the self-belief to stroll into hell and inform anyone to calm down. After a flowing crew move, the 19-year-old smashed his end into the roof of the internet and then rubbed it in with a “calma, calma” social gathering in front of the Galatasaray fans, who answered with a volley of missiles thrown from the stands.
Captain Bruno Fernandes was once left to choose up the objects and put off them from the pitch earlier than coming up with a missile of his own.
Picking up the ball from Luke Shaw on the left, he took a couple of strides ahead and launched a rocket into the pinnacle nook with his proper foot from 25 yards. His occasion used to be to slide on his knees and cowl his ears, however, he needn’t have stricken as the ear-splitting noise was once changed with started-up silence.
Ten Hag spoke later on about his group being higher at “game management,” which felt like it overlooked the truth that barring Onana’s contribution, they would have nearly truly gained as Hakim Ziyech used to be twice the beneficiary of free-kick desires that have to have been saved.
The first wrong-footed Onana as it slid previous his proper knee, however his mistake for the 2nd — after McTominay had scored United’s 0.33 — used to be the type that ends up on DVDs of football’s largest blunders. He possibly concept Anthony Martial would head Ziyech’s go clear, however except for a contact from the French forward, the United No. 1 ended up being amazed through the tempo of the ball and punching it into his net.
He ought to do little to quit alternative Kerem Aktürkoglu’s bullet end to make it 3-3. By that stage, though, the harm had already been done.
At the closing whistle, Onana stood crestfallen on the pitch and had to be consoled with the aid of his backup Altay Bayindir, Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and Ziyech, as his United teammates trudged off down the tunnel.
“He is OK,” Ten Hag stated of Onana. “As I said, it is no longer about individuals. Of course, character blunders in soccer can make a distinction and you take duty for it, however, it is constantly about the team. This crew is good, all the gamers in the squad are precise and deserve the best, to play for Manchester United, due to the fact they are remarkable players. And that counts for the entire squad.
Champions League way forward
“As a team, we have to research due to the fact we are conceding too many desires and it is useless and avoidable. I am certain our group is skilled and successful sufficient to control this, and we will do better.”
Vulnerability at the returned has grown to be the story of the team stage campaign, however regardless of whether or not Ten Hag needs to admit it, Onana has contributed more than most with massive errors in pivotal moments. The cutting-edge episode of his habitual nightmare has left United dealing with Champions League oblivion.