Olympique Lyon managed to escape a home defeat against Manchester United with a thrilling 2-2 draw on Thursday night, in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals. In a match that offered drama, late goals, and moments of brilliance, both sides showcased their attacking intent and resilience.
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The game began with both teams struggling to create clear chances, especially during the opening 15 minutes. The midfield battle was intense, and both defenses stood firm, particularly Manchester United's backline, which did well to absorb early pressure from the home side. Lyon, however, threatened first through Corentin Tolisso, who fired a powerful shot from the edge of the box, only for it to be deflected by a United defender.
Manchester United responded shortly after with a chance of their own. Dorgu delivered a precise pass into the path of Rasmus Højlund inside the penalty area, but the Danish striker's effort went narrowly wide of the right post. Lyon continued to push, and Almada had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock when a deflected shot fell to him at the edge of the box. However, his strike flew over the crossbar.
United had a decent chance when Casemiro attempted a bicycle kick after the ball bounced off Lyon’s defense inside the box, but it lacked power and landed safely into the hands of goalkeeper Lucas Perri. The breakthrough finally came in the 25th minute when Thiago Almada curled a free-kick into the box. No player managed to touch it, and the ball bounced straight into the net past a hesitant André Onana, giving Lyon the lead.
Manchester United tried to respond, with Harry Maguire getting on the end of a free-kick delivery, but his header missed the target. Almada continued to test Onana with another long-range strike, but the United goalkeeper was alert and made the save. Højlund tried again from distance, but his shot was easily collected by Perri.
Just when it looked like Lyon would go into halftime with the lead, Manchester United found the equalizer. Deep into first-half stoppage time (45+5), Leny Yoro rose above everyone in the box and headed the ball precisely into the net, leveling the score at 1-1.
The second half resumed with both teams showing more urgency. Lyon nearly retook the lead nine minutes in, as Alexandre Lacazette found himself with space in the box after receiving a fine pass. However, he failed to convert, shooting wide of the far post. Yoro then advanced for another attempt, shooting low from outside the area, but it too missed the target.
Onana was called into action again when he denied Tolisso’s effort from the middle of the box, catching the shot with ease. Lyon squandered another chance when Mikautadze sent his attempt inches wide of the post. At the other end, Perri produced a fine save to deny Garnacho from close range after a sharp cross by Dorgu.
Lacazette wasted another golden opportunity, firing high over the bar from inside the area despite being unmarked. As the match approached its conclusion, Manchester United looked to have snatched the win. Substitute Joshua Zirkzee connected with a precise cross from Bruno Fernandes and headed the ball past Perri in the 88th minute to make it 2-1.
However, Lyon had other plans. In the dying seconds of stoppage time (90+5), Rayan Cherki reacted quickly to a rebound after Onana had saved a powerful strike from Mikautadze. Cherki slotted the ball into the net with composure, sending the home crowd into raptures and securing a dramatic 2-2 draw.
The tie now remains finely poised ahead of the second leg in Manchester, where both teams will look to seize the advantage and book a place in the Europa League semifinals.
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