An incredible match at Old Trafford concluded with a 3-2 victory for the Turkish Super Lig leaders, Galatasaray, adding immense pressure on Manchester United and their manager, Erik ten Hag. Rasmus Hojlund scored two goals, but strikes from former Red Devil Wilfried Zaha, Kerem Akturkoglu, and Mauro Icardi secured the win for Gala. Casemiro received a red card for the home side following an error by Andre Onana.
Manchester United have lost their second game in a row in the Champions League, humbled by a Galatasaray side that won a frenetic match 3-2 at Old Trafford.
In a lively first half Rasmus Hojlund put United ahead with a bullet header from a Marcus Rashford cross. The visitors were level just six minutes later, when Wilfried Zaha overpowered Diogo Dalot to scuff a loose ball past Andre Onana.
A brilliant run and finish from Hojulnd restored United’s lead, only for an equally fine finish from Kerem Akturkoglu to pull Galatasaray level a few minutes later.
A mistake from Andre Onana forced Casemiro into conceding a penalty. Casemiro was red carded, and Mauro Icardi smashed his penalty wide of the post. Icardi redeemed himself minutes later, with a cool finish over Onana to seal a memorable victory for Galatasaray.
Manchester United face an away trip to FC Copenhagen on the next match day, whilst Galatasaray will host Bayern Munich.
TALKING POINT
United are a mess at the back. On the back of a bad defensive performance in Munich, United simply went to pieces at Old Trafford tonight and conceded a number of avoidable goals.
A long ball was allowed to bounce not once but twice for the first, going all the way into the United area before Zaha shoved Dalot aside to score. The concession of the penalty came from another bad mistake from Onana, while the winner from Icardi came from another uncontested long ball straight through the heart of the defence. It was a defeat that might have been a lot heavier than 3-2.
The only green shoot of promise for Erik ten Hag was a dynamic turn from Rasmus Hojlund. His two goals were superbly taken, but he’ll have to keep scoring heavily to keep United in games if they continue to play so badly at the other end.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Kerem Akturkoglu (Galatasaray)
In the second half, the visitors delivered an exceptional performance, led by Akturkoglu’s slick maneuvers. He consistently found space between Manchester United’s midfield and defense, causing significant problems for the home team. Akturkoglu rounded off his excellent performance with a stunning finish for his goal.