Maguire and Onana have both been heavily criticized in the first two months of the season at Man Utd, but they played a significant role in securing the team’s first three points in the Champions League 2023-2024. The drаmаtic victory of the “Red Devils” resembled a tribute to the late legend Bobby Charlton, who passed away just three days prior.
Maguire has been performing well in recent weeks, and he was even named the man of the match in the win against Sheffield United. However, his performance today was even more impressive. Not only was he solid in defense with four crucial aerial duels won, but he also scored a headed goal from a cross by Christian Eriksen on the right in the 72nd minute. Despite being pushed from behind by an opponent, the 30-year-old defender managed to steer the ball into the far corner, beyond the reach of goalkeeper Kamil Grabara.
While celebrating the goal, Maguire raised his hand, making a heart gesture towards the fans, and then pointed to the club emblem on his shirt. In the summer of 2023, Man Utd agreed to sell the center-back to West Ham, but he refused to leave and chose to stay and compete for a place at Old Trafford. When Lisandro Martinez suffered a long-term ιnjury, Maguire gradually gained the trust of coach Erik Ten Hag.
Maguire received a rating of 7.7 from Whoscored in this match, the second highest after Onana. The Cameroonian goalkeeper scored 8.3 points, mainly due to his last-minute penalty save. The situation arose from a high foot challenge by midfielder Scott McTominay on Mohamed Elyounoussi inside the penalty area from a corner kιck by the away team. Italian referee Marco Guida immediately awarded a penalty to Copenhagen, and VAR did not intervene despite McTominay not making contact with the opponent’s face.
The player entrusted with taking the penalty for Copenhagen was Jordan Larsson, the son of former Man Utd striker Henrik Larsson. Henrik played for Man Utd for three months in early 2007, leaving an impression with three goals in 13 appearances. His left-footed son took a stutter step before shooting the penalty towards the right corner, but Onana read it well and pushed the ball out of play.
The Man Utd players, especially McTominay, ran over to Onana to celebrate with him. The 27-year-old goalkeeper shouted at his teammates to stay focused, thinking that Copenhagen might take a quick corner kιck. However, Onana didn’t realize that the referee had blown the final whistle right after he pushed the ball out. When reminded, he buried his head in the arms of his teammates.
Onana had made mistakes in both of Man Utd’s previous matches, leading to a 3-4 loss against Bayern and a 2-3 loss against Galatasaray. This time, he made amends and contributed to the team’s hopes of advancing from the group stage.
Despite the victory, Man Utd’s style of play did not improve significantly. They didn’t create any notable chances in the first half as the away team defended in numbers and sat deep. Referee Guida even blew the halftime whistle in the 44th minute and 43 seconds, 17 seconds earlier than the official time.
In the post-match interview, Maguire expressed his gratitude to the hero Onana, but the goalkeeper replied, “That’s my job.”
