Absurd, absurd... it's hard to find words for the Europa League quarter-final tie between Manchester United and Lyon. That tie, although the quality of the team's lineup did not qualify for the Champions League final, overshadowed all the matches of the previous knockout stage in Europe's elite competition.
And not just this season...
The home team advanced from the Theater of Dreams in a game of turnaround and record, even though they were losing 110:4 in the 2th minute.
The "devils" were leading 2:0, the guests equalized and despite the fact that they played without the sent-off Corentin Tolisso from the 89th minute, the "lions" took control of the game, hid the ball, were more dangerous and scored goals.
First, Ryan Cerki in the 105th minute, with a great shot from the edge of the penalty area, and then Lacazette from the penalty spot in the 110th.
United's game fell apart, the away fans were euphoric, and the home team, after another expected failure, were leaving Old Trafford, in front of the eyes of the unloved American owners, the Glazers, and their beloved icon, Sir Alex Ferguson.
And he didn't leave the stands either, and United's turnaround was in the style of his era.
A lucky penalty by Casemiro and a goal by Bruno Fernandes, and then the Brazilian reminded of his best days playing for Real Madrid - he "connected" in the 120th minute with a goal by Mayno and a minute later with former captain Harry Maguire.
"I sympathize with the people who left the stadium to avoid traffic jams when the score was 4-2 in favor of Lyon. I know they were "destroyed," said Amorim.
His role in the historic match was certainly not small - he was the only one in the stadium to take off his jacket, drawing out on paper for the players near the touchline how to respond to the "Lions" dominance. He was preparing the "written off" Maguire for the role of center forward... And the great fighter Maguire responded with a header, his third and only goal of the season.
And the match went down in history, the first time five goals were scored in extra time in a European Cup, the first time two goals in the 120th minute...
"It's hard to explain what happened. Everything was going in our favor. We were leading 4-2 with a player less. But we celebrated too much at 4-2, and the game wasn't over. We believed in victory too early. We should have thought about the game. We lacked experience here. After the penalty kick, the rival players pressed hard and we couldn't handle the stress," stressed Paolo Fonseca, Lyon coach.
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