Olympique Lyonnais won’t go to Old Trafford with a lead but they will go there with hope. Despite dominating for large periods and creating several high-quality chances, Lyon could not make their advantage tell on Thursday night as they drew 2-2 against Manchester United in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie.
An André Onana error gave OL the lead in the first half with Thiago Almada’s ball into the box going all the through an into the far corner. Manchester United hit back through Leny Yoro on the cusp of half-time before, against the run of play, Joshua Zirkzee headed home what looked to be a late winner for the visitors.
However, Rayan Cherki stepped up in the dying seconds to slot past Onana and level the tie, leaving it all to play for at Old Trafford next Thursday. “It was a great game of football,” began Paulo Fonseca in his post-match press conference. “We played it with a lot of bravery. We played our game and made things difficult for a great team.”
He added, “Cherki’s goal allows us to conserve the same ambition that we had at kick-off. That is important. In Manchester, it will be difficult but not impossible. Manchester United are a very dangerous team in attacking transitions. We can improve in this domain […] I am frustrated by the result but happy with what we did during the match.”
