Eager to bounce back from their Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace, Manchester United welcomed Galatasaray to Old Trafford for their UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 appointment on Tuesday night (October 3). United newcomer Rasmus Hojlund delivered a memorable performance, but most of his teammates were not on the same wavelength. The game ultimately ended 3-2 in favor of the visitors, putting even more pressure on Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.
Rasmus Hojlund Delivers A Top-Tier Performance
Having scored in his UEFA Champions League debut at Bayern Munich a fortnight ago, Rasmus Hojlund extended his goalscoring streak with a brace against Galatasaray on Tuesday night.
It took the Danish attacker 17 minutes to find a way past Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. Marcus Rashford chased down a long ball from Casemiro, dashed into the box from the right side, and put in a tasty cross into the area for Hojlund. The 20-year-old timed his run perfectly to get to the delivery and had the composure to take it beyond the goalkeeper with a straightforward header.
Six minutes after Hojlund’s strike, Galatasaray got themselves on the scoresheet through a determined Wilfried Zaha. The former Crystal Palace man got the better of Diogo Dalot inside the box and beat United goalkeeper Andre Onana with a bouncing effort.
In the 67th minute, United got their noses back in front, courtesy of a sublime Hojlund goal. Intercepting a back pass from Sergio Oliveira, Hojlund drove through the midfield, barged into the box, and beat the keeper with a perfectly weighted chip. Unfortunately for the home fans, Hojlund’s strike ended up being the last bit of meaningful, positive play from United, as things got worse soon after.
Andre Onana’s Mistake Cost Manchester United The Game
In the 71st minute, Kerem Akturkoglu got to the end of an excellent pass from Baris Alper Yilmaz and beat Onana from close range. Six minutes later, the goalkeeper played a horrendous pass straight to Galatasaray man Dries Mertens, which forced Casemiro to lunge into a tackle. The Brazilian caught Mertens inside the area and the referee unhesitantly pointed to the spot. To make matters worse, Casemiro saw a second yellow for the infraction and was sent off.
Mauro Icardi failed to hit the target from the resulting penalty kick, but made amends for his sins soon after, confidently chipping Manchester United keeper Onana. Playing with 10 men, the Red Devils failed to hurt the impressively organized visitors, haplessly succumbing to a 3-2 defeat.
Without a win in two UEFA Champions League games, United find themselves in fourth place in group standings. Bayern Munich, who picked up a 2-1 comeback win at Copenhagen on Tuesday, sit at the summit with six points.
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