Cameroonian shot-stopper Andre Onana was the hero for Manchester United against Copenhagen on Tuesday night, as his stoppage time penalty save ensured they held on to their 1-0 lead, earning them their first victory in the UEFA Champions League this season.
The former Ajax and Inter Milan goalie, who has endured a tough start to his life at the Theatre of Dreams, came up big for the Red Devils with a huge right-handed stop to deny Swedish forward Jordan Larsson, the son of former United forward Henrik Larsson, from 12 yards out.
What a moment. https://t.co/jcMLndG8Kc pic.twitter.com/G8aGYtuuFQ
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 24, 2023
United came into the game at Old Trafford needing a win to kickstart their Champions League campaign after losing their first two games to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray, and they started off by paying tribute to their former midfielder Sir Bobby Charlton, who passed away over the weekend.
Erik Ten Hag’s side endured a very lethargic start, with Copenhagen pegging them back right from the start, with Portuguese winger Diogo Goncalves hitting the upright within minutes of the start of the game. The first half saw fewer chances for both sides, and it ended in a goalless stalemate.
However, the second half was much different, with Denmark’s Lukas Lerager almost breaking the deadlock with a sting of a strike from just outside the box, but Onana was up to the task, parrying it away for a corner kick.
United thought they had scored a goal in the 54th minute with substitute Christian Eriksen striking the ball from close range, but Polish goalkeeper Kamil Grabara was on hand to deny him with a fantastic low save.
After a flurry of missed chances from Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and Scott McTominay, the Red Devils finally got their goal in the 72nd minute from the unlikeliest of sources as Harry Maguire rose highest in the far post to nod home the ball.
The English defender, who, like Onana, has been scrutinized by both the media and United fans, matched up his man-of-the-match display from the weekend with a sublime headed goal, his first of the season.
United kept up the pressure, but they failed to make any of their chances count, and they almost paid for it with referee Marco Guida pointing to the spot after McTominay had impeded Norwegian forward Mohamed Elyounoussi in the dying seconds of the game.
Larsson, who came in as a substitute in the 85th minute, stepped up to take the kick with Old Trafford as silent as a graveyard and the hearts of thousands of United fans in their mouth. However, Onana had other ideas, as he got a strong right arm on the ball to repay the United faithful after his costly errors in their first two games.
An important three points on an emotional night! ✔️#MUFC || #UCL
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 24, 2023
The three-time Champions League winners registered their first win in the competition this campaign, and they sit third in Group A with three points, one behind Galatasaray in second and six behind the Bavarians at the top.
Next in the competition, they will travel to the Parken Stadium in Denmark for the second game of their double header against Copenhagen, but before then, they have a big task against treble winners Manchester City in the Manchester derby this Sunday in the Premier League.
