Galatasaray – Manchester United 3:3 (Ziyech 29′, 62′, Akturkoglu 71′ | Garnacho 11′, Fernandes 18′, McTominay 55′)
RAMS PARK – For neutral fans, and especially rival fans, there is hardly anything that will bring more joy this season than Manchester United.
They released all the hits. There were record defeats, disgraceful incompetence and the endless snatching of defeat from the jaws of victory. A recent rebranding has turned them into European farce entertainers.
In a game they really needed to win to have any chance of making the play-offs, United played their best attacking football of the season, firing 18 shots away at Galatasaray and scoring three goals – all this should be enough to beat the Turkish champions.
However, screaming goalkeepers and disastrous defending prevented laughter from filling the empty space. United led 2–0 and 3–1 and somehow managed to take a point. They have scored twelve goals and are still in last place in their Champions League group. Manchester United truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
“It was fun to watch. We were dynamic, brave and scored great goals,” said Erik ten Hag. “Even after the setbacks, we kept going and had to win.
“We have to manage games better. We will learn this.”
Not when it’s so much fun, Eric. We hardly had any games at all. Rain in Istanbul made Manchester look as if it were in the Gobi Desert before the game, but after match officials had previously shown concern as kick-off approached, the rain stopped – games could begin.
Although the modern Ali Sami Yen Stadium looks more impressive than its predecessor, the atmosphere inside is more like a modern cauldron: a lot of noise, but the players do not have to worry about their safety.
The pre-match message was of course very clear as the hosts welcomed United back to “hell”, revealing the scars of that famous night in 1993 when Eric Cantona lost his head and Bryan Robson drew some blood.
The whistles heard every time United touched were shrill, but quickly died down during United’s blistering start.
First up, man of the hour Alejandro Garnacho capped off his goal of the season last weekend with another superb strike in the 11th minute before Bruno Fernandes fired home a perfect goal kick. blue – the xG from which he turned his right foot back was 0.02.
Despite previously leading two group games and ultimately losing, United will certainly not be able to screw things up now.
In fact, they seemed to enjoy Turkey’s displeasure. For both goals, Garnacho and Fernandes mocked the home fans and pelted them with all sorts of projectiles, the only thing missing from their repertoire was a pig’s head.
But despite all the progress, this United team, like the owners of new pup Pound, still find it very difficult to maintain leadership.
Andre Onana has clearly been more reliable of late, but while his team-mates enjoyed the inferno, the United stopper was melting before our eyes.
Firstly, he was too easily saved from a free-kick by Hakim Ziyech and was unable to restore the hosts’ lead. With Scott McTominay taking his season total to five, Ziyech, the only home player aware of Onana’s problems, drilled another set piece into the Cameroonian’s body and you know the rest.
The home side were dead and buried at 3-1 but Onana’s late miss brought the crowd to their feet to equalize with 19 minutes remaining as Kerem Akturkoglu took advantage of the visitors’ defensive line as it parted like the Red Sea.
In this absolutely crazy match, every attack created an opportunity. The Keystone Cops defense was a joy to watch. You just didn’t want it to end. Fernandes hit the post while substitute Facundo Pellestri should have won it at the death.
That didn’t happen as United’s fate was sealed right down to the final game, in which they would have to beat Bayern Munich while keeping an eye on other results to even secure a Europa League place. Laughter everywhere.
A man won’t find this funny. Thrill-seekers Ten Hag have conceded 33 goals this season, the most in their first 20 games since the 1962/63 season, and they have conceded 14 goals in the Champions League, the most ever in a single group stage.
The popcorn will be ready in two weeks.
Source: I News
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.