Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has described his side’s astonishing 5-4 victory over Lyon as the “strangest game” he’s ever played. The win, which sealed a 7-6 aggregate triumph, sent United into the semi-finals of the Europa League in one of the most dramatic European matches in recent memory.
Maguire, who netted the decisive second goal in the 120th minute of extra time, said the game was an emotional rollercoaster and one of the standout moments of his career. “It was an incredible feeling to score that winner in such an important game, in a game that was full of emotion and the strangest, maddest game I’ve ever played in or witnessed,” he said.
The match will go down in history as the first European fixture to feature five goals in extra time, with United becoming the first team ever to score twice in the 120th minute of a European competition.
The game was also deeply personal for Maguire, who reflected on his six years at United and the highs and lows he’s experienced. “That game pretty much summed up my time at this club, to be honest,” he added. “I don’t even want to imagine how it would’ve felt to come out after a 4-2 defeat.”
United had taken a comfortable 2-0 lead into half-time thanks to goals from Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot. But the second half saw Lyon fight back fiercely. Corentin Tolisso scored to halve the deficit, and Nicolas Tagliafico equalised shortly after.
Despite being reduced to 10 men following Tolisso’s red card, Lyon stunned United by scoring twice in extra time — first through Rayan Cherki, then via an Alexandre Lacazette penalty. Lyon’s players celebrated wildly, sprinting to the opposite end of the pitch to the away supporters, confident the game was over.
“I think they thought they’d won it, the way they celebrated,” said Maguire. “That gave us extra motivation. But honestly, we should never have let it get to that stage. Even at 2-2 with the red card, the momentum was with us.”
But in the final frantic minutes, United responded with three rapid-fire goals to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Maguire was quick to admit the team must improve if they hope to lift the trophy. “We’ve got to do far better than that if we want to win this competition,” he said.
Maguire Calls Europa League Thriller Against Lyon the “Strangest Game” of His Career
With United now set to face Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals following the Spanish side’s 2-0 aggregate win over Rangers, manager Ruben Amorim has made it clear that the Europa League is now the club’s priority.
Sitting 14th in the Premier League and with six league games left, Amorim confirmed he would be resting senior players and turning to United’s academy talents to close out the domestic campaign.
“Bruno [Fernandes] and Diogo [Dalot] were exhausted,” Amorim said. “We have to manage their workload carefully. So now, I’m going to trust the kids to help us finish the season.”
Among those likely to feature against Wolves on Sunday are 17-year-old striker Chido Obi, defender Harry Amass, and midfielders Jack Moorhouse and Jaydan Kamason. The highly rated Ayden Heaven may also return, depending on his fitness after a recent ankle injury.
“These young players are being thrown in at a difficult moment, but we don’t have a choice,” Amorim said. “Ayden only got his chance because of injuries, but now I see him as one of us. If they’re ready, they’ll play.”
United will be monitoring the availability of defenders Noussair Mazraoui and Victor Lindelof, both of whom missed part of the Lyon clash due to separate personal emergencies. Amorim confirmed both are fine and should be ready to return for the next match.
“I know football is important,” he said, “but sometimes life gives you things that are more important. Everything is OK now.”
