Manchester United’s goalkeeper, Andre Onana, has taken full responsibility for his team’s recent Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich. The German side secured a 4-3 victory in their Group A opener, with two crucial goals in the first half at the Allianz Arena.
The turning point in the match came when Cameroon international Onana made a critical error, allowing a relatively tame shot from winger Leroy Sane to slip past him and find the back of the net. This mishap gave Bayern Munich the lead and altered the course of the game.
Reflecting on his performance, Onana acknowledged his mistake and expressed his disappointment: “It’s difficult to lose this way because I feel in the beginning, we started very good. After my mistake, we lost control of the game. It’s a difficult situation and, for me especially, because I’m the one who let the team down. But the team was very good; I think it’s because of me that they didn’t win this game. We just have to move on. This is the life of the goalkeeper, and if we didn’t win today, it is because of me.”
Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, showed support for Onana, emphasizing that mistakes are part of football and should not be blown out of proportion: “(In) football on the whole, (there) will always be mistakes, and this is one mistake. So, we also don’t make it bigger than it is. He will bounce back, and he is a very important player.”
Onana, who joined Manchester United from Inter Milan in July, will look to regroup and continue contributing to the team’s performance as they navigate their Champions League campaign.