Devastated goalkeeper Andre Onana said he let the team down with his costly mistake at the start of Manchester United’s Champions League loss to Bayern Munich.
Erik ten Hag’s side suffered a fourth loss in five matches as a bright start in Bavaria went up in smoke with the summer signing somehow letting a Leroy Sane shot squirm home.
Bayern quickly added a second through Serge Gnabry and never relinquished control of the Group A opener, with Harry Kane scoring a penalty straight after Rasmus Hojlund had pulled one back after half-time.
Casemiro scored either side of Mathys Tel’s stoppage-time strike in a dramatic conclusion to a 4-3 defeat that glum Onana took responsibility for.
“It’s difficult,” the Cameroon international said.
“It’s difficult to lose this way because I think in the beginning we started very good and after my mistake we lost control of the game.
“It’s a difficult situation for us, for me especially because I’m the one who let the team down. But the team were good, very good, but because of me we didn’t win the game.
“I am happy for the work of the team and we just have to move on. This is life of the goalkeeper and if we didn’t win today it’s because of me.”
Onana requested to face the media after the game and was clearly cut up about his error in the first half, which he said was “the key point” in the loss.
“I have to learn from it and be strong, move on,” the former Inter Milan player told TNT Sports.
“It’s not an easy situation but I’m very happy for the comeback of the team. We were fighting until the end, but I have to recognise because of me we didn’t win.
“I have a lot to prove because, to be honest, my start in Manchester is not so good, not how I want.
“Play how I play today is one of my worst games and it’s difficult because we have big ambition, we are a very big club and we want to win everything.
“It was a big opportunity for us to bounce back after the situation we are facing. It’s tough, a tough time. We have to be together, we have to continue what we are doing, learn from our mistakes because it’s the only thing to do.”
Ten Hag did not sugarcoat things when asked about Onana’s error in the press conference, but made clear it is about the team rather than an individual.
“I think he shows that he takes responsibility and shows personality and the personality he needs to get in high levels,” the United boss said.
“But that’s not only about him, it’s about the team’s performance, so we have to support him on the pitch, not only in life, we have to help him.
“But it doesn’t only count for Andre, it counts for all the players on the pitch. They have to understand they are in the same boat and they have to be on the same page to get results.”
Ten Hag said people should “not make it bigger than it is” and is sure Onana will bounce back from the clanger as attention turns to Saturday’s Premier League trip to Burnley.
“When you score three goals in Munich you have to take at least a point, which we didn’t,” the Dutchman said. “We have to take a look at ourselves in the mirror.”
As for Bayern, they were far from their free flowing best but Thomas Tuchel – banned from the touchline – was happy with the result.
“It is a deserved win,” the ex-Chelsea boss said. “Every win in the Champions League is a big point.
“Every win against Manchester United is a big point. We didn’t have the rhythm that we wanted and in the phase after we made it 3-1 we could have killed the game off. But we reacted well to every setback.”
Brendan Rodgers insists hard work is key for Celtic squad over busy December
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers stressed that hard work and mentality would be crucial during a busy December for players who are in and out of his side.
Rodgers claimed he was the angriest he has ever been as a manager at half-time at McDiarmid Park on Sunday with Celtic trailing 1-0.
His players reacted to his accusations they had been “soft” in the first half and went on to beat St Johnstone 3-1.
“For me, it’s very, very straightforward, football,” Rodgers said. “What you gain through experience, and when you take away the technical jargon, the difference in the game is about working hard.
“And when you are a top team, it’s about working very hard. We failed to do that in the first half and if you don’t do that, you can get punished, with any team.
“So you always have to guard against that. No matter how good a team you are, the start point for any team is your work. And once you put your work in and play to the intensity and speed of which you are asked to play, you see the difference it makes.
“There was nothing tactical about Sunday, it was about mentality and physicality and once you bring that to the game you get your rewards.”
Rodgers has spoken of the need to strengthen his squad in recent weeks despite admitting he has too many players.
Such comments might not give much encouragement to those who are unable to break into his team, including summer signings Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke, who are being kept out of central defence by Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales. But Rodgers has told his squad players to keep believing.
“I am out there every day watching training,” he said. “And when I see players training and working with that personality then they will always edge their way closer to my thinking.
“I have said before it is clear our squad is quite big. Unfortunately for the likes of Maik and Gustaf, Scalesy came into the team and really took his opportunity. Nat Phillips has been brilliant since he has been here, he has been a real positive influence, and it’s the one area of the team you don’t want to change too much when both players are fit.
“So for any player it’s all about what they do in training and that is all they can do. You can’t get too disappointed. If you are working hard, then hopefully those opportunities come for you.
“All the guys who came into the game (on Sunday) affected it. The modern game is not now just about the 11 players who start. Guys like Mikey (Johnston) coming into the game was outstanding, very direct, fast and was creative, and worked hard. Jamesy (Forrest) gets his goal, Tommo (Tomoki Iwata) comes in and creates the third goal.
“That’s testament to how they train, the intensity of our training every day allows them to be at a good level so when they come into the game they make an impact.”
Rodgers will have Luis Palma available for Wednesday’s cinch Premiership encounter with Hibernian after the winger went off with cramp in Perth.
Injured trio Daizen Maeda, Liel Abada and Reo Hatate are still to return to full training.
“Liel and Daizen are both on the pitch now which is great news,” Rodgers said. “Daizen is probably a little bit ahead of Liel, but I am expecting at some point this month they will be available.
“They are back out on the field with the medical team and the rehabilitation team, and hopefully it won’t be too long before they will be back in with the squad again.
“We allowed Reo to go back to Japan and he has worked very hard there. He returns later in the week and we will assess him when he comes back.”
Mauricio Pochettino wants Enzo Fernandez to ‘build confidence’ from Brighton win
Mauricio Pochettino believes Enzo Fernandez has the confidence to begin showing his best form for Chelsea after the World Cup winner netted his first Premier League goals against Brighton.
The 22-year-old headed in his team’s first after 17 minutes before adding a second from the penalty spot after the break, as the hosts weathered the loss of captain Conor Gallagher to a red card in the 45th minute to claim a 3-2 victory at Stamford Bridge.
It was a first win in six attempts in the Premier League against Roberto De Zerbi’s side and saw the Argentina international, who signed from Benfica for a then British record £107million in January, finally break his scoring duck in the league on his 31st appearance.
His influence has grown at the heart of Chelsea’s midfield, particularly since the arrival of Moises Caicedo in August, which has allowed him to take up more advanced positions.
Pochettino, who also saw defender Levi Colwill score his first for the club, predicted Fernandez’s first league goals will only accelerate his progress.
“It’s important that different players can score,” said the manager. “It was Enzo’s first and second in the Premier League, it’s important to build confidence.
“Players sometimes need one season, six months, 10 months to start to show their real quality. Why would it be different at Chelsea?
“So happy that different players can score. It’s a good thing for the team.”
The win was just Chelsea’s second at home in the league this season and their fourth of 2023, lifting them into the top half of the table following the previous weekend’s 4-1 rout by Newcastle.
The game finished amidst confusion as Brighton were awarded a penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time by referee Craig Pawson after the ball struck Colwill in the face inside the box.
A pitch-side VAR check – the game’s second after Mykhailo Mudryk had won a spot-kick following a review – overturned the decision, but emotions boiled over with players of both sides squaring up to each other as the final whilst went.
“Football is emotional, no?” said Pochettino. “It’s normal, our reaction and the reaction from Brighton.
“You are playing for a lot of things. It’s really important there three points for us (or) one point for Brighton.
“There’s massive confusion at the end of the game. It was exciting, people were upset. That’s what happened when we were in the middle all together.
“You create this type of relationship where it becomes massive confusion.”
Sarina Wiegman: No chance Scotland will let England win to aid GB Olympic hopes
England boss Sarina Wiegman has stressed there is “no way” Scotland are going to “give away” the game when the sides meet at Hampden Park on Tuesday in their final Nations League group fixture.
The second-placed Lionesses may need a high-scoring win against the already-relegated Scots to claim top spot in the group, the finish required to keep Wiegman’s team in contention to secure Paris 2024 Olympic qualification for Great Britain.
With England success on that front the only way Scottish players will be able to play at the Games, Andries Jonker, head coach of group leaders the Netherlands, described the situation as “strange” after England’s 3-2 win over the Dutch at Wembley on Friday.
Wiegman told a press conference on Monday: “I understand the conversations about it.
“But if you have seen our group, seen Scotland and know the history of Scotland and England, then there’s no way that they are going to give away this game. They really want to beat England and we want to beat them, of course.
“There’s such a rivalry that that is absolutely not going to be the case. We saw it when we played in England (a 2-1 win for England in September).
“I don’t have the solution. This is the first time we’ve played the Nations League, and how are you going to solve this situation? Maybe you don’t want them in the same group, but then if Scotland topped another group, we topped one and we went into the finals, you’d have the same situation.
“It’s just about fair play, about football, and in football everyone wants to win, and we know the rivalry.
“We have professional players here who really want to show up – England players and Scottish players. I think it’s going to be a good game where everyone wants to perform at their highest level.”
England midfielder Keira Walsh said: “Nobody is questioning the professionalism of this game.
“They’ve got some top players, so do we and we both want to win. I don’t think it’s a case of they’ll be thinking about anything else, I think we both want to play a good game and hopefully win.”
While England and the Netherlands, each on nine points from five games, are locked on head to head record, the latter have a goal difference that is superior by three. The Dutch on Tuesday host a Belgium outfit who lie a point behind in third.
Wiegman said of her players: “You don’t want to be erratic. We want to be controlled, but we really want to play our best game and create chances, get a lot of players up front, but do the right things, make the right choices, stay calm at all moments and score as a team, and again then don’t concede any.
“Lets start, play a possession game, try to get in behind the defence, create lots of chances and score.”
England battled back to triumph on Friday after being 2-0 down at half-time, with the second Dutch goal coming when Mary Earps got a glove to Lineth Beerensteyn’s shot but could not stop it crossing the line.
Earps afterwards said she had “really let the team down”, something Wiegman then said was not the case.
Walsh added: “Mary has saved us in so many situations. For me, she’s always been there in the big moments for us, so she really doesn’t need to take that on herself.
“It has to go past 10 other players before it gets to her and I think there were numerous mistakes leading up to that one.
“She’s in good spirits now I think. Even at breakfast this morning she was making jokes about it. Mary’s delivered before so I’m pretty sure she will again.”
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