In a tweet posted on the day this Europa League group was drawn, Omonia Nicosia’s back-up goalkeeper Francis Uzoho vowed to “for sure die for that post” should he somehow get the chance to play at the home of the club he has supported since a boy. He did get that chance, and did just about everything in his power to deny Manchester United. He did, for 93 minutes. He spent the 94th laid out on his back in despair.
Scott McTominay’s winner at the death, from his side’s 34th shot on Uzoho’s goal, prevented the seventh-best team in Cyprus last season from taking a historic point at Old Trafford. It avoided one of the more ignominious results in United’s storied European history and put Erik ten Hag’s side all but through to the knock-out stages. A point at home to Sheriff Tiraspol in a fortnight’s time will be enough to progress.
This was a long night for United, one which saw Ten Hag’s players grow visibly desperate as it dragged on. Countless chances went begging. For all Uzoho’s brilliance, his goal led a charmed life at times too. Omonia’s resistance was eventually broken by a neat turn from substitute Jadon Sancho, in a cameo that may ignite his stalling Old Trafford career, and McTominay’s drive past the poor goalkeeper.
Neil Lennon came close to adding another famous European result on his track record to rival Celtic’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona a little over a decade ago. Considering the aching gulf in stature between these two clubs, the scale of the achievement would have been arguably greater still. Instead he and a travelling support of many thousands return to the Cypriot capital with pride but not points.
Ten Hag made two changes to the line-up which defeated Omonia in the Cypriot capital last week. Ever-present Christian Eriksen was afforded a well-earned rest while Marcus Rashford switched in from the suddenly out-of-favour Sancho. Lennon meanwhile was missing his man-of-the-match from a week earlier, his first-choice goalkeeper Fabiano, ruled out with a shoulder injury. Given that, United would have hoped not to go into the interval goalless.
It was not for a want of trying. Rashford was United’s liveliest player by a distance before the break and gradually became engaged in a running battle with Uzoho. The Nigeria international was at it from the off, tipping an early curling effort over, then denying Rashford on a one-on-one after a Fred turnover in midfield, and pushing another Rashford attempt around the post minutes later.
Casemiro beat Uzoho only for his piledriver to crash back off the crossbar. United were as dominant as they had been in Nicosia, though just as vulnerable to a rare counter-attack too. It came just before the interval, Bruno outstripping Diogo Dalot and bearing down on David de Gea’s goal. The angle was too tight for a shot. A square pass to the unmarked Andronikos Kakoulli was on. Bruno elected the former rather than the latter, much to the thousands of travelling supporters’ frustration.
Lennon shared that frustration and cut an even more exasperated figure a minute later when he felt United should have been reduced to 10 men. Lisandro Martinez felled Kakoulli to snuff out a breakaway from a stray Dalot backpass, perhaps cynically so. Referee Jerome Brisard did not think so and waved play on. For all United’s possession, for their persistent peppering of Uzoho’s goal, it was a reminder that last season’s Cypriot Cup winners only needed to get lucky once.
Uzoho returned to performing heroics within 15 seconds of the restart, denying both Antony and Rashford with an instinctive double save. Another shortly followed, beating away Fred’s effort and smothering the ball at Ronaldo’s feet before he could drill in at close range. This was threatening to become a career-defining night. Blamed for Nigeria’s failure to reach the World Cup due to a costly error in their play-off with Ghana earlier this year, Uzoho was now almost single-handedly keeping United at bay.
United had to resort to route one. A long, hopeful punt upfield caught Omonia’s defence entirely off-guard, allowing Rashford to dart in on goal unopposed. Even Uzoho seemed vulnerable now but the finish was wild and wide when it was easier to hit the target. Changes followed: first Sancho and Luke Shaw were introduced, then Eriksen too. Moreto Cassama, the Omonia midfielder, was perhaps fortunate to escape a sending off after a reckless challenge on Casemiro.
United should not need to be a man up to score past opponents of Omonia’s calibre though, regardless of the character that Lennon’s side was showing. Frustrations threatened to boil over when McTominay blazed a shot high in the dying embers. His next would be drilled, low hard and - finally - past Uzoho. Sancho’s trickery, aided by Shaw’s dummy run, created the space for the cutback and through a mass of bodies, McTominay finished. Uzoho took a moment, eventually rose to his feet, then fell again at the sound of the final whistle. A heroic performance deserved better but to Ten Hag’s relief, United found a way.
