Man United beat Omonia, Nicosia
Marcus Rashford helped Manchester United overturn a half-time deficit as they beat Omonia Nicosia 3-2 in the Europa League group stage in Cyprus on Thursday.
After United’s Karim Ansarifard’s stunning first-half strike, Rashford broke through and scored, before Anthony Martial won the game 20 minutes later.
Rashford added United’s third six minutes from time before Omonia provided a nervy finale after Nicolas Panagiotou headed straight back.
As a result, United is in Group E with six wins, three behind Real Sociedad and 3rd behind Sheriff. Omonia, who visit Old Trafford in a week, will have no more points.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro, and Victor Lindelof were on target as Manchester United boss Erik van Haag was beaten 6-3 by rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
For Ronaldo, playing against the Cypriot Cup winners seemed like the perfect opportunity to score the much-needed goal in the 700th year of his club career.
But while United was expected to dominate the game, they failed to make that advantage count in the first 45 minutes.
Antoni became the main player, missing a great opportunity to open the score in the 16th minute. After Bruno Fernandes ran onto Lisandro Martinez’s ball, Anthony cleared the ball but chose to pass the ball to Fernandes instead of shooting. The pass could not find the target and could not interpret the moment.
Two minutes later, Fernandez was disappointed again, his chip came back to beat the goalkeeper.
Then in the 34th minute, the visitors were surprised by a classic attack.
Tyrell Malacia was beaten by Bruno in the Nicosia half after United took the ball forward. The Nicosia striker was promoted before finding a job for Ansarifard. The Iranian international beat David de Gea to find the roof of the net and give the hosts the winning lead
Hag reacted quickly, making a double change at half-time, with Malacia and Jadon Sancho leaving, and Luke Shaw and Rashford replacing him.
Quick change pays off. Eight minutes after his arrival, Rashford dribbled past Fernandes before creating space to slot the ball into the corner of the net.
Ten minutes later, United took the lead, and Rashford was again very involved. This time he linked up with Martial, who cleverly flicked his shot into the path of the French forward before curling the ball into the corner of the net outside the box, beating the defender with ease.
Ronaldo then looked set to score his 700th goal but hit the near post. The Portuguese were superb but United’s defense set up Rashford to put the result beyond doubt before the hosts scored a second and took the lead.
Highlights
The home team filled the penalty area with players hoping for a late goal, but the ball cleared the crossbar and the referee gave the full whistle. Manchester United has Eric on Hag and his substitutes to thank for tonight’s win. After conceding a goal in the first half, United equalized through Rashford in the 52nd minute. Another substitute, Martial, headed home to take the lead before Rashford pulled one back a second from Ronaldo’s mistake. A second win for United made it six points from three games to secure second place. United won their second game on the trot in Europe and will be hoping to keep that form intact.
Injuries and suspensions
Jadon Sancho has been underwhelming for City and could drop to give Anthony Elan or Alejandro Garnacho a chance. Facundo Pellistri is unavailable due to injury, while Mason Greenwood is still out.
Viktor Lindelof could replace Rafael Varane, who was injured in the Manchester derby. Christian Eriksen has started every game for Manchester United and Denmark this season. Maybe a break for Fred.
Tyrell has joined Manchester United thanks to Malaysia’s success. But his spell with City has been disappointing, and Luke Shaw should get a chance to showcase his talents at the Ten Hag. Eric Ten Hag was praised before the City game and looks very likely to get a chance against Omonia.
Donnie van de Beek, Martin Dubravka, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are out of the squad due to injury problems
Brandon Williams and Phil Jones were left out of the lineup to play in the lineup.
Casemiro is also a possible change for Scott McTominay, but United could wait for the Brazilian to start at Everton, which could reduce his chances of starting against Omonia. Anthony Martial could replace Marcus Rashford, but the decision could be influenced by whether the Ten Hag wants to be kept for the Everton game.
Harry Maguire missed the Manchester derby due to a problem he picked up while representing England during the international break, but the club captain could return for the game. Ten Hag revealed last week that Axel Tuanzebe is struggling with long-term injury problems, with the defender facing spells with unknown problems.
