Europa League: ‘Maddest’ Game I’ve Played – Maguire

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire says their 5-4 win against Lyon was the “strangest game” he has ever played in.

The England centre-back scored the second of two goals in the 120th minute of extra time to send United through to the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 7-6 aggregate victory.

Lyon, who had been 2-0 down on the night, scored four times without reply and had Corentin Tolisso sent off, before conceding three times in seven extra-time minutes.

The fixture was the first in European history in which five goals were scored in extra time, while United became the first club to score twice in the 120th minute of a European tie.

“It was an incredible feeling to score that winner in such an important game, in a game that was full of emotion and the strangest, maddest game I’ve ever played in or witnessed,” said Maguire.

“I’ve been here six years now and I’ve had some great times and some bad times as well.

“I think that game pretty much summed up my time at this club, to be honest.

“I don’t know how I would have felt if I had come here and been speaking to you after a 4-2 defeat – it’s not even worth trying to think about that.”

United had been cruising in the first half, taking a 2-0 lead into half-time after goals from Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot.

But Tolisso’s header halved the deficit 19 minutes from time, before Nicolas Tagliafico equalised six minutes later.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Lyon took the lead on aggregate through Rayan Cherki in extra time before former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette scored a fourth from the penalty spot.

Lyon’s players celebrated Lacazette’s effort 11 minutes from time by running towards the away end, at the other end of the pitch to where the penalty was taken.

“I think they [Lyon] thought they’d won it, the way they were celebrating,” said Maguire.

“That gave us more of an incentive to turn the game around.

“I think the worst feeling was that we felt we’d thrown it away, rather than lost the game at that moment, and how we managed to get ourselves into that situation, because even going into extra time at 2-2, the momentum was back with us with the sending off, we shouldn’t end up in that situation.

“We’ve got to do far better than that if we want to win this competition – we can’t be doing that and be leaving it to turn it around in that situation.”

United will face Spanish side Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals, after their 2-0 aggregate win against Rangers in the quarter-finals.