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In their UEFA Champions League clash, Manchester United aimed to bounce back from their opening defeat against Bayern Munich as they hosted Galatasaray at Old Trafford. Galatasaray had secured a late draw in their previous European fixture against FC Copenhagen.
Manchester United took an early lead in the match at the Theatre of Dreams, with Rasmus Højlund heading in a perfectly delivered cross from Marcus Rashford after just seventeen minutes.
However, Wilfried Zaha, the former Manchester United player, quickly leveled the score six minutes later with a powerful shot that bounced over goalkeeper André Onana and found the back of the net.
Højlund later restored United’s lead with a chipped effort with just over twenty minutes of regulation time remaining, but the celebrations were short-lived. Kerem Aktürkoglu capitalized on a brilliant run and pass from Baris Yilmaz to equalize for Galatasaray, placing the ball in the bottom corner.
Things took a turn for the worse for Manchester United when a misplaced pass from Onana presented Dries Mertens with a golden opportunity to extend Galatasaray’s lead. In a desperate attempt to preserve the scoreline, Casemiro committed his second yellow card offense by lunging in on Mertens.
Reduced to ten men for the final ten minutes plus stoppage time, Manchester United breathed a sigh of relief when Mauro Icardi missed the resulting penalty, striking it against the post. Onana’s reaction was one of jubilation.
Icardi redeemed himself in the 81st minute, giving Galatasaray the lead with a cheeky chip after Davinson Sánchez’s headed clearance fell perfectly for him.
The defeat leaves Manchester United at the bottom of their UEFA Champions League group, making their upcoming fixture against FC Copenhagen crucial. Before that, they will return to Premier League action, hoping to end their streak of successive home defeats when they face Brentford on Saturday.
Starting Lineups:
Manchester United (MUN): Onana; Amrabat, Lindelöf, Varane, Dalot; Mejbri, Casemiro; Rashford, Fernandes, Mount; Højlund
Galatasaray (GAL): Muslera; Angeliño, Abdulkerim, Sánchez, Boey; Kaan, Torreira; Zaha, Akturkoglu, Tetê; Icardi