In the end, Manchester United was not much better than Lyon, as André Onana had suggested. But they were still good enough to get a draw here in France and it can be enough to see them until the semi-finals of the Europa League next week.
It was an embarrassing night for Onana. Imagined in a public spit with the old Uni midfielder, Nemanja Matic, before this equality, he was at fault for Lyon going forward half-time from the first half thanks to the free kick of Thiago Almada and then allowed a shot from Georges Mikautadze to move away from him.
But Ruben Amorim’s team remains undefeated in Europe this season and they have again widened the goals of former defender Lille Lille Yoro on his return to France, then a late head of the replacement Joshua Zirkzee who seemed to have won him.
Bruno Fernandes cut a cross towards the rear post in the 88th minute and Zirkzee had moved away from his marker Clinton Mata just enough to guide a head beyond goalkeeper Lucas Perri.
United will therefore be marginal favorites when the two teams will meet Old Trafford again in a week, even if there was more than enough evidence to suggest that the fifth team of Ligue 1 will not drop without fighting.
All 3,000 Fans of United in Lyon for this match were not in the Groupama stadium by kick -off, a ventilation of the metro and tram services in the city adding Thursday to an already convoluted system which involved them to collect bracelets in a room 10 km from the ground.
But there was no shortage of French supporters happy to create a noisy atmosphere inside the stadium.
“Honor these coat of arms and fight like lions” read a huge banner through the north turn before departure, and Paul Akouokou forced from the back of Alejandro Garnacho at the first minute.
Amorim has chosen an unchanged program of the derby, the Ground Manchester derby on Sunday, probably because he was satisfied with the work that his team did in containing Manchester City in another match, he did not want to lose at first, and for 25 minutes, they did a good job to absorb the early pressure here.
In fact, it was united who had the clearest chances to this point with Patrick Dorgu pulling the ball for Rasmus Hojlund whose finish was that of an attacker desperately lacking in shape and confidence.
Diogo Dalot then played Garnacho and his pass was greeted by a first effort by Captain Bruno Fernandes who removed a Nick of Moussa Niakhate and stole just above the bar.
Onana had very little to do at that time, even if each of her touches had been loudly spent by fans of the house because of her pre-match spit with the Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic, the former man united the striking one of the worst guards in the history of the club after he declared that Murim was much better than their French opponents.
Onana had pointed out that, unlike Matic, he won a Trophy in United and he seemed to raise the abuses of the house fans while he was taking his time playing back.
But you have to save these boasts and he was at fault for the opening goal of Lyon in the 25th minute after ourselves Mazraoui hung Nicolas Tagliafico.
Thiago Almada delivered an Inswinger from the left touch line and rebounded inside the distant post of Onana which clearly expected someone to have a touch on the ball.
It was no different from the objective he conceded to Jaden Philogene of Ipswich in circumstances similar to Old Trafford in February.
A penny for Matic’s thoughts or perhaps the co-owner of United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, sat in the stands here, who named Onana as one of the players he suggested is not good enough or too paid in a series of interviews last month.
“He probably wants him to keep his mouth closed, it is a very bad mistake,” said the former plain midfielder, Paul Scholes, in TNT Sports. “I don’t know what the goalkeeper tries to do, the ball bounces right in front of him – it’s a terrible mistake.
United was certainly on the strings while the noise inside the Groupama stadium increased other decibels. Dalot was reserved for a late challenge on Tagliafico and he needed a fantastic Mazraoui interception tackle in the first half to warn that Mikautadze set up a goal of escape that would have left United with a difficult battle.
But they were level with the last half-time action. The goalkeeper Lucas Perri Palmé Freekick of Fernandes and Manuel Ugar hung the ball into the box so that Yoro nods with his head from near and score his first goal for United.
Mikautadze caused United no end of problems and barely Ugarte had been reserved to incorporate him that the international of Georgia Mazraoui for death and crossed for the replacement Alexandre Lacazette at Volley Wide.
Yoro has clearly had an eye for the goal now and he drew a shot of a fairly switching from the left just after the brand.
But United was almost defeated again when Tolisso closed to Freying his way in front of Ugarte and Yoro to leave with only Onana to beat 10 meters but drew straight on the goalkeeper for any reason. Garnacho then survived a pass to Fernandes when it seemed that United would mark on the break, then saw an effort kept by Perri at the end at close range.
Zirkzee thought he had won him with his head but Cherki marked death to make everything square.
However, Amorim would have been satisfied with this result before kick -off and it is the one who pushes his team a little closer to the Bilbao final next month. United advantage.
