"He was the reason we even made a comeback", "Unc still got it" - Fans hail Manchester United star after comeback win over Lyon
Casemiro is the subject of praise online for his performance during Manchester United’s match against Olympique Lyonnais in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday.
The Brazilian midfielder produced a player of the match performance as the Red Devils secured a 5-4 win at Old Trafford and a 7-6 aggregate win to reach the Europa League semifinals.
Following a 2-2 draw in France, both teams knew they had to win in the return leg to book their spot in the next stage of the competition. While Lyon controlled most of the tempo in the early minutes, it was Manchester United who opened the scoring on the night.
Manuel Ugarte put the Red Devils ahead after 10 minutes following a sweeping move involving Noussair Mazraoui, Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho.
Lyon kept cranking up the pressure as the game progressed, but Manchester United doubled their lead in the stoppage time of halftime, courtesy of Diogo Dalot.
With a two-goal aggregate lead, the Red Devils took their foot off the gas in the second half. However, the decision backfired, as their opponents restored parity before the 80th minute, thanks to goals from Corentin Tolisso and Nicolas Tagliafico.
In the 89th minute, Lyon had their momemtum checked when Tolisso was given his second yellow card, which led to his sending off. You’d have been forgiven for thinking Manchester United would immediately capitalize on their opponents' numerical disadvantage.
In the most surprising fashion, the Ligue 1 outfit turned the game on its head, scoring two goals inside the added 30 minutes to put the home team on the brink of elimination.
However, the Red Devils put on a fighting spirit, and they scored three goals towards the end of the game to wrest victory and qualification from Lyon.
While fans were delighted with the win, a section of them singled out Casemiro for praise. The midfielder had 89 touches, provided two assists, made four key passes, won one penalty, and received a rating of 9.3, as per Sofascore.
An X user wrote:
‘‘Mainoo and Maguire will take the plaudits, but Casemiro was the reason we even made a comeback. That mentality you cannot buy in today's day and age. Insane player. @Casemiro''
Another posted:
‘‘Casemiro is the most clutch DM this sport has ever seen. F*ck your Rodri's and Busquets''
@utdhans wrote:
‘‘Casemiro will deffo be one of the unsung heroes tonight. 2 assists and won us a penalty, what a performance''
@totalcristiano added:
‘‘Two assists and a penalty won all in extra time. Casemiro, ladies and gentlemen.''
“But here, it’s never over" – Ruben Amorim on Manchester United’s 5-4 win over Lyon
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim could hardly find the words to describe the whirlwind of emotions that unfolded at Old Trafford on Thursday night. Amorim likened his side’s comeback against Lyon to the comeback Sir Alex Ferguson’s side produced against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final.
Speaking after the game, Amorim told the media (via the club’s website):
“No, was hard. I was watching again the '99, the documentary [when we completed the Treble by beating Bayern Munich with two late goals in the Nou Camp], so to have some inspiration for this moment. But, was a great night. I think the team were tired and you feel it during the game, and then 4-2 with one more player and, in the end, you think it's over. But here, it’s never over."
Manchester United will face Athletic Bilbao in the semifinals of the Europa League.