“Welcome to Hell”. Galatasaray fans received this message from Manchester United in Istanbul this Wednesday. A phrase that became a reality for the Ten Hag team. Especially for André Onana, goalkeeper of the ‘red devils’. The goalkeeper made two errors in the group stage duel that ended up costing the English team a draw (3-3) and practically their ticket to the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Hakim Ziyech scored two goals following mistakes by the former Ajax goalkeeper. Both goals came from set pieces. In the first, Onana has the ball on the wrong foot after a centered foul, near the crescent. In the other, he cannot block the ball with his hands, passing the ball under his forearm. It should be noted that Manchester United gained an initial 0-2 lead on the scoreboard, thanks to goals from Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a game like that. It was crazy from start to finish. It doesn’t seem like a team to me,” Paul Scholes said on ‘TNT Sports’ about Ten Hag’s team. For his part, English journalist Chris Wheeler wrote in the ‘Daily Mail’ that “André Onana’s errors cost United the game in Istanbul” and “left their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.”
The Manchester team has had one of the worst starts to the league season since 1986-87 and has also done the same this year in the top European competition. The Red Devils are the first team to concede 14 goals in five games in a Champions League season. In addition, they have conceded 33 goals in all competitions this season: the most conceded in their first 20 games since the 1962-63 campaign with 43.
English media report that Onana does not have the necessary confidence within the United dressing room. Only one player came to support the Cameroonian goalkeeper after the final whistle in Istanbul. This was Fernando Muslera, in charge of defending the Galatasaray goal since 2011.
Erik ten Hag defended his goalkeeper in the press conference after the duel: “We win and lose together. Individual mistakes in football can make the difference and one assumes responsibility for it, but it is always a team thing,” he said. Meanwhile, several Manchester United fans do not take a dim view of David de Gea’s return to Old Trafford.
