Man Utd players Mazraoui and Lindelof depart Old Trafford at half-time due to family emergency
VICTOR LINDELOF and Noussair Mazraoui exited Old Trafford at halftime during the match against Lyon due to urgent family matters.
On Thursday, United experienced one of their most exhilarating and memorable European nights.
3
3
3
The Red Devils required THREE late goals in extra time to come back from a 4-2 deficit and secure a 5-4 victory over Lyon, having initially led the match 2-0.
Harry Maguire netted the winning goal in injury time, sending United into the semi-finals of the Europa League, where they will meet Athletic Bilbao.
However, Amorim shared some troubling news.
In a pitchside interview with TNT Sports following the victory, he revealed that Lindelof and Mazraoui had to depart the stadium to attend to personal matters.
He did not go into detail regarding the nature of their issues.
Amorim stated: “We faced a situation with Noussa at half-time.
“Vic had a personal issue that necessitated his departure.”
SunSport understands that Amorim’s remarks pertained to both Lindelof and Mazraoui, as each was managing a separate urgent family concern.
Lindelof, 30, had been set to warm up at half-time.
Amorim is officially the WORST Man Utd manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, as the under-pressure boss admits- I’m underperforming
The Swedish defender was expected to replace Noussair Mazraoui at half-time.
However, due to Lindelof’s emergency, Luke Shaw came on instead.
Amorim indicated that the Englishman was only supposed to play for 30 minutes as he returned from a lengthy injury layoff.
Instead, he ended up playing more than 75 minutes as United squandered their two-goal advantage, leading the match into extra time.
Lyon, who were reduced to ten men, scored two additional goals—one of which resulted from a penalty given for a foul by Shaw—before Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Maguire found the net in the 114th, 120th, and 121st minutes to achieve an incredible comeback.
Amorim, who positioned Maguire forward during extra time, commented: “I was viewing the 1999 [Treble] documentary for inspiration in moments like these.
“It was a fantastic evening. The team was exhausted, finding ourselves down 4-2 against a side with one less player; we thought it was over, but around here, it’s never over.
“Anything is possible, and you can feel it in the atmosphere. At 4-3, following Bruno Fernandes’ penalty, we sensed a shift in momentum.”
“We put Harry Maguire up front as he’s the only player capable of scoring a header.
“The noise from the stadium was the best I’ve ever experienced. While many collect shirts and scarves, I want to preserve that sound, as it’s the greatest sound in the world.
“I empathize with those who had to leave the match at 4-2 due to traffic; they will surely feel disappointed.
“We acknowledge that we are underperforming and deserve all criticism, but we still have time to achieve something remarkable this season.
“One moment can shift many players’ mindsets; we need to maintain strong focus on the Europa League, and at times, we must take risks with younger players in the Premier League. Our fans need to understand that; our priority must be the Europa League.”
