Andre Onana, goalkeeper for Manchester United, said he accepts responsibility for his team’s stunning 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, especially after making a mistake on Bayern’s opening goal.
“I have to assume the responsibility,” Onana stated in a post-match interview with CBS Sports’ Peter Schmeichel. “I think we lost this game because of me and the mistake I made, the goal we conceded.”
Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a beautiful shot from the edge of the penalty box. Despite the fact that it was a very straightforward stop for any goalie, Onana failed to grab the ball. Onana did get a touch on the ball, but it was insufficient to prevent Sane’s strike from finding the back of the net.
The German champions added a second four minutes later through Serge Gnabry and remained at least one goal ahead of United as they failed to make a second-half comeback.
“It came at an inopportune time,” Onana said of Sane’s goal. “I think we were in control of the game at that point, and after that goal, we fell apart.” It’s not an easy circumstance, but now is the time to acknowledge and accept responsibility for everything… [Expletive] happens in life, but that blunder cost us the game. We didn’t win today because of me.”
Despite the outcome and the error, the goalkeeper took the opportunity to thank his teammates for scoring three goals and attempting to recover from a difficult first half.
“I’m happy for the team because we worked really hard today,” he remarked.
He also stated that the players must “work hard and keep believing because we are Manchester United.”
Manchester United have had a poor start to the season, with only two wins in six games across all competitions. The team is in the lower half of the Premier League table and has shown defensive concerns beyond Onana — this was the third game in a row that United conceded three goals. In prior encounters, the team was defeated 3-1 by Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion.
On Saturday, United and Onana will attempt to bounce back against a Burnley squad that has failed to win a game since gaining promotion to the Premier League.
