Manchester United’s hopes of reaching the Champions League’s knockout rounds suffered a huge setback after the Red Devils allowed Galatasaray to come back to earn a draw in a chaotic contest in Istanbul.
Erik ten Hag’s side got off to a dream start as Alejandro Garnacho fired the visitors in front on 11 minutes, before Bruno Fernandes doubled the lead with a thunderous strike seven minutes later.
Andre Onana’s error allowed Hakim Ziyech’s free-kick in to hand Galatasaray a lifeline before half-time, but Scott McTominay restored the two-goal advantage 10 minutes after the restart.
A second mistake from Onana saw another Ziyech free-kick squirm in, before Galatasaray struck a damaging low to United’s hopes of progression as Kerem Akturkoglu came off the bench to blast home an equaliser.
Manchester United captain Fernandes lamented the ‘really bad goals’ conceded, which followed a similar collapse at Copenhagen last time out.
“It’s really hard. We conceded really bad goals. We have to take control of the situations in all of them,” he told TNT Sports.
“We were on top of the game twice and we had far too many chances to have the game closed. We were not clinical enough.
“I have nothing to explain. We concede the two goals and there’s nothing we can do now. Obviously we could have done better with those two goals but it is what it is.
“Every time we conceded a goal we had many chances to score again. At the end of the game we had four chances. We have to lift our heads up and try to get the best players in the best positions and not take chances ourselves. We need to put the team first. It was mistakes by ourselves on the goals we conceded.
“It’s too hard to be honest, I don’t want to be too negative. But what we have been doing in the Champions League is not enough. It is not the first game we’ve had like this. We have to secure the result.
“We have to understand in these types of games and stages we have to be smart enough and manage the game better. Everyone has to step up and take responsibility of their own mistakes. Now we don’t depend on ourselves but it is what it is.”
Both sides had big chances in a pulsating clash, but a draw leaves both with work to do. Manchester United will be eliminated if Copenhagen beat Bayern Munich in this evening’s other group game.
Should Copenhagen fail to win, the Red Devils will need to beat Bayern at Old Trafford on December 12 and hope Galatasaray and Copenhagen draw to progress.
