Goalkeeper André Onana has taken the blame for Manchester United’s 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in Wednesday night’s Champions League.
The Cameroonian keeper was at fault for Bayern’s opening goal of the game after a fairly straightforward shot from ex-Man City star Leroy Sané slipped through his fingers.
Despite getting back into the game through Rasmus Højlund‘s first goal for the club, United suffered even more misfortune when new signing Harry Kane scored a penalty following Christian Eriksen’s accidental handball, and the away side once again found themselves chasing a two-goal deficit.
The final few minutes of the game got even more frantic, with Casemiro pulling another one back for Erik ten Hag‘s side, Bayern hitting the post twice before and eventually adding a fourth through substitute Mathys Tel, only for the former Real Madrid midfielder to grab another with the last kick of the game.
While luck played its part at either end of the pitch, both good and bad, Onana came out after the game to state that it was his mistake that ultimately saw his team on the wrong end of the seven-goal thriller and even specifically requested to speak in a series of post-match interviews on behalf of the squad.
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"That mistake cost us the victory. It's because of me we didn't win today."
Onana takes the blame for his mistake against Bayern.
Speaking to club legend and a former world-class keeper, Peter Schmeichel reporting for CBS Sports, Onana made the brave choice to come out and publicly take the blame for the Red Devils’ disappointing return to the Champions League, insisting, “It’s because of me we didn’t win today”.
While he began by saying “mistakes are part of life for a goalkeeper” and that he was “happy with the effort of the team” overall, he went on to state, “I have to assume responsibility… the mistake I made for the goal we conceded came in a bad moment and at that time we were in control of the game.
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“After that goal, we fell down… it’s not an easy situation but it’s time to accept and be responsible… work hard and keep believing because we are Manchester United… sh*t happens”. He had similar words for TNT Sports too, summing up his interview in one answer: “I’m the one who let the team down”.
While the defeat will still be a tough one to take, the reaction to Onana’s honesty and willingness to front up in such a way from United fans has been positive, with many commenting “fair play” and calling it the kind of “classy” response they want to see.
He was also praised before the game for speaking on “togetherness”, adding that although they win and lose and draw as a team, he can take people pointing the finger at him.
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Onana on conceding ten goals: “Listen. Listen. We are in this together. We win together, we lose together. Clean sheet is for all of us. So when we concede goals the responsibility is Andre Onana. My teammates are working hard. And if they have to point finger, they have to point… pic.twitter.com/2r7LRp67M5
In fact, the former Ajax shot-stopper has been perfectly candid ever since he became David de Gea‘s successor and went on to admit, “I have a lot to prove because, to be honest, my start in Manchester is not so good”.
Nevertheless, he remained resilient through his various post-match interviews and insisted he simply has to take it on the chin and learn from the experience, with several online also reminding supporters that de Gea didn’t make a perfect start to life at Old Trafford either and made many similar mistakes towards the end.
In contrast, club captain Bruno Fernandes was quick to come out and defend Onana, stating: “Andre’s a great goalkeeper. He will keep giving us a lot of points, a lot of saves… He doesn’t have to take [the] blame for anything; we have to take the blame as a team.
“We’re going to go through this moment together because we’re strong as a team.”
His manager also made a point of making sure their new number one didn’t shoulder all the responsibility for the game either, noting that while “mistakes will always happen in football”, he wasn’t the only reason that goal ended up in the back of the net.
Sadly for the club, his stats thus far don’t make for great reading, having already conceded 16 goals in six games across all competitions — the most of any Premier League keeper this season.
What do you reckon Reds, do you blame Onana for the overall Bayern performance and some of United’s results this campaign, or is it just teething problems?
You can watch the full highlights of Bayern Munich vs Manchester United below:
Featured Image — Manchester United/Discovery+/CBS Sports/TNT Sports (via Twitter)
Sport
Kate Scott praised for impassioned speech following more racism in Champions League
Danny Jones
Football pundit and sports presenter Kate Scott has been met with plenty of praise for her ‘expert’ handling of the fallout following more racism in the Champions League this week, delivering an emotional and impassioned speech about discrimination live on TV.
The Manchester-born broadcaster, formerly Kate Abdo, was serving as the host on her usual CBS Sports panel on Tuesday, 17 February, when the story of the playoff game between Benfica and Real Madrid – which included a worldie from Vinicius Jr. – was overshadowed by more allegations of racial abuse.
In case you missed it, Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making racist remarks by both Vini Jr and Kylian Mbappe, but supposedly covered his mouth so as not to be caught on camera; the match was then stopped for more than 11 minutes.
Speaking in the aftermath amid the following European fixtures the next day, the Withington-schooled journalist and University of Salford graduate delivered an eloquent reaction to the controversy with peak professionalism.
Absolutely pitch perfect, and all those involved in preparing the statement should be applauded.
While Scott herself recognised that it’s a shame we even have to keep talking about issues like these rather than the sheer simplistic beauty of, well, ‘the beautiful game’, her response is an example of the job being done at arguably its very best: factual, ethical, moving and inspiring.
As you can see, Scott goes on to say, “This isn’t Real Madrid versus Benfica – it is right versus wrong. Vini Junior and Kylian Mbappe said that there was repeated racial abuse.
“Gianluca Prestiani said they misheard, but he covered his mouth to hide what he said from the cameras, and hopefully, we can all agree that if what you are saying on a football pitch is shameful enough to have to hide it from the public, then you’re wrong.”
The Portuguese club, which ultimately lost 1-0 in their first leg at home on the night, have released a statement reaffirming their commitment to “equality, respect, and inclusion” but reiterates that they believe Prestiani and feel he is now the subject of a “defamation campaign”.
Conversely, in a definitive and emphatic closing message, she signs off by adding the following: “The racial diversity on a football pitch in the Champions League is the representation of the global love for this game and the global belonging in this game. This is the very spirit of football.
“And if you don’t agree, then respectfully, you are the one who doesn’t belong.”
This is what the Athletic is supposed to be. Telling important stories & giving in depth analysis. I hope this signals that it will be its focus moving forward.
From CBS ‘Golazo’ show being applauded for tackling the subject head-on, to Cross herself being labelled as everything from “a role model” and “a benchmark” to “the best on the planet” in the outpouring of reactions on social media, it’s fair to say they absolutely nailed it.
Sadly, this is one of many recent examples of prejudice being shared publicly across various UEFA tournaments and beyond in recent years, but the only way we can truly help anti-hate initiatives is by continuing to call them out.
Stockport County defender Tyler Onyango out injured for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
Stockport County defender Tyler Onyango is set to be ruled out for the rest of the season as the club confirms he has injured his hamstring yet again.
County manager Dave Challinor delivered the unfortunate news in his most recent pre-match press conference ahead of the local clash against Wigan Athletic, revealing that the injury, which saw Onyango forced off in the defeat against Bradford City, as feared, is fairly serious.
The young Luton-born full-back has played a baker’s dozen worth of games already this campaign – already three more than his first term last year – but is now scheduled to be out for a number of weeks and isn’t likely to return before Stockport’s promotion race ends.
With the Greater Manchester club having stayed well in and amongst the playoff scrap spots, currently sat in 5th, losing a player in a key wide position is the last thing the Hatters need.
Damaging his hamstring once more, and not for the first time (suffering multiple related setbacks since 2023), the 22-year-old has racked up a number of concerning injuries at a young age.
As well as a hernia problem, Onyango fractured his ankle in 2021 and was sidelined for more than a third of the year in 2022/23 with a hip flexor issue.
He only returned to action after his last muscle strain this past December and did look to be finally enjoying a decent run in Challinor’s side.
On the other hand, the Everton loanee’s performances haven’t always been consistent, and while many fans recognise he’s a “good player when fully fit” and has progressed since he arrived in SK3, other supporters fear he may not be a reliable enough option.
Writing on X, one user said: “A player who has improved since last season and adds quality to the group. My question to the club is, at what point is maintaining good injury-prone players a potential detriment to the squad rather than a positive ‘gamble’ given we haven’t had consistent wingbacks all season?”
Sadly for the young right-back, who has shown promise in spells bombing down those flanks, his second stint at Edgeley Park is being cut short just like his last one.
Detailing that Onyango “will now go for surgical opinion”, a club statement put simply, “Whatever the outcome, the setback brings his second loan spell at Edgeley Park to a premature end.
Praising the versatile defender for his efforts and resilience thus far, they go on to add: “We wish Tyler all the best and will continue to offer our support throughout his recovery. We thank him for his efforts during his time as a Stockport County player.”
It remains to be seen whether or not they will attempt to keep him close and secure a third temporary deal come the summer.
One player they have decided to help complete his loan trilogy is returning winger Louie Barry, who isn’t expected to be back in action until March, but could provide plenty of solutions on the pitch.
You can see Dave Challinor’s post-match presser following the double defeat to Bradford here.
Danny Jones -
21st September 2023 
