Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana played a crucial role in Manchester United’s 3-2 Europa League victory over Bodo/Glimt on Thursday, denying the visitors a potential scoring chance in the second half.
Leading 3-2, United faced a scare after a sloppy back-pass nearly allowed Bodo/Glimt to break through on goal. Onana dashed from his line to intercept the ball but failed to clear it cleanly on his initial attempt.
As he fell to the ground, he managed to scramble the ball away, drawing calls for a free-kick from Bodo/Glimt players who believed he had handled the ball outside the penalty area—a violation that typically warrants a red card for goalkeepers.
Upon review, it was evident that Onana did not deliberately handle the ball. The ball had struck his arm as he fell, not as part of any intentional action. The VAR team confirmed this, allowing Onana to escape punishment.
In an earlier twist, United had opened the scoring just 81 seconds into Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge at Ipswich.
This time, it took them only 48 seconds to find the net. A costly blunder by goalkeeper Nikita Haikin, who was pressured by Rasmus Hojlund during a routine clearance, gifted Alejandro Garnacho an easy tap-in.
Bodo/Glimt responded with an equalizer before half-time thanks to Hojlund’s superb strike, which delighted Amorim.
The decisive moment came five minutes into the second half when Hojlund converted Manuel Ugarte’s cross from close range, securing the win for Manchester United.
