Manchester United drew with Lyon in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals with 90 minutes left to decide who heads to the semifinals.
Thiago Almada scored the opening goal of the tie in the 25th minute from a free kick. Not quite the quality of Declan Rice's two strikes in the Champions League, but a shining example of good things happening when you play the ball into dangerous areas.
FORMER MLS STAR THIAGO ALMADA'S FIRST EUROPEAN GOAL COMES AGAINST MANCHESTER UNITED 🎯 pic.twitter.com/7fqxMch3Ub
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 10, 2025
Almada's curling effort evaded everyone in the box trying to meet it as it fell toward Andre Onana's far post. The goalkeeper tried to parry it away, but it snuck past him into the net. After Nemanja Matic's words in the build-up, a terrible moment for Onana.
Leny Yoro equalized for the visitors in the dying seconds of the first half to lift spirits. For much of the second half, Manchester United were defending chances in their box. They bided their time and took advantage of a loose ball in Lyon's penalty area. Kobbie Mainoo found Bruno Fernandes who, as he's done all season, played a deadly cross to the back post where Joshua Zirkzee headed home United's second goal.
With nothing but the Europa League to truly play for in the final stretch of the season, it looked like Ruben Amorim's team would head back to England with a lead. Rayan Cherki played spoiler in the final seconds, much like Yoro did in the first half, to level the tie. Another moment form Onana that will likely be criticized and replayed until next week.
All to play for back at Old Trafford with both sides feeling like they can get over the line.
Player ratings below.
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Manchester United Player Ratings vs. Lyon (3-4-2-1)
Ratings provided by FotMob
Player of the Match: Rayan Cherki (Lyon)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lyon 2–2 Manchester United: Player Ratings as Red Devils Cough up Lead Late.
