Coach Ten Hag: 'Man Utd were punished for their mistakes'

According to coach Erik ten Hag, individual mistakes led to Manchester United's 2-3 defeat against Galatasaray in the second matchday of Group A of the Champions League.

"Man Utd were twice ahead, controlled the game, and yet it ended like this," Ten Hag said after the defeat at Old Trafford. "Then we made some basic mistakes that we don't usually make in a game. You can't do that at this level, because you get punished. It wasn't just one person who made those mistakes, but as a team, we made them. So, Man Utd couldn't win."

Coach Ten Hag left Old Trafford looking pensive after the Galatasaray match. Photo: AFP — Coach Ten Hag left Old Trafford looking pensive after the Galatasaray match. Photo: *AFP*

In this match, Man Utd took the lead twice thanks to a brace from Rasmus Hojlund. But on both occasions, Galatasaray found equalizers through Wilfried Zaha and Muhammed Kerem Akturkoglu respectively. The visitors sealed the victory in the 81st minute when Mauro Icardi broke free and chipped the ball over goalkeeper Andre Onana.

This defeat resulted in another series of dismal statistics for Man Utd. This is the first time they have lost both of their opening group stage matches in the Champions League, following their 3-4 defeat away to Bayern Munich in the opening round. As a result, the "Red Devils" are bottom of the group, behind Copenhagen with one point, Galatasaray with four points, and Bayern with six points.

Man Utd have also lost seven of their last 14 home Champions League matches (five wins, two draws) – the same record as their previous 96 games in the competition (67 wins, 22 draws). Man Utd have lost six and conceded 18 goals in 10 games across all competitions this season – their worst record since conceding 20 goals in the first ten games of the 1966-1967 season. With 19 goals conceded, Sheffield United are the only Premier League club to have conceded more goals than Man Utd since the start of the season.

"If I offer any explanation, you'll see it as an excuse, and the truth is there are no excuses right now," Ten Hag admitted. "We can't afford to make the mistakes we're making. We have to do better, we have to win matches, that's the simple reality."

Casemiro received a red card for fouling a Galatasaray player, following a misplaced pass from goalkeeper Andre Onana.

When asked about the possibility of reaching the Champions League round of 16, the Dutch coach confidently stated: "Everything is still open. We have four matches left, including two legs against Copenhagen. Every match will be difficult, but we know what we have to do. The whole team knows what is required, we show unity and maintain hope of progressing."

During this press conference, Ten Hag also defended Onana – the goalkeeper who passed the ball directly to Dries Mertens' feet in the 77th minute, causing Casemiro to commit a foul in the penalty area and receive a second yellow card, resulting in his sending off. Ten Hag praised Onana as having the qualities to become one of the world's best goalkeepers, having reached the Champions League semi-finals with Ajax in 2019 and the final with Inter last season. "We saw Onana show great ability and character after making a mistake. I believe he will bounce back in the upcoming matches," he said.

The 53-year-old manager also praised Hojlund for his excellent game, noting his constant threat and two superb goals. He sees the match against Brentford in the eighth round of the Premier League on October 7th as an opportunity for Man Utd to regain momentum and return to winning ways.

Hong Duy

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