Harry Maguire and André Onana Secure Crucial Champions League Victory for Manchester United against FC Copenhagen

Manchester United secured a crucial Champions League victory against FC Copenhagen, with goalkeeper André Onana and defender Harry Maguire emerging as the unexpected heroes. This 1-0 triumph marked United's first win in the tournament this season and coincided with a heartfelt tribute to the iconic former captain Sir Bobby Charlton.

Charlton, 86, passed away on Saturday. In honor of one of the club's greatest players, Old Trafford observed a minute of silence before Tuesday's game. Manager Erik ten Hag was among those who paid tribute by laying a wreath. United faced a challenging first half as Diogo Gonçalves struck the post and Mohamed Elyounoussi's subsequent attempt was deflected wide within the initial five minutes of the match.

Lukas Leragers' shot was expertly blocked by Onana in the initial stages of the second half, just before United commenced their assault on the Copenhagen goal. Their first attempt came as Rasmus Højlund charged into the box, followed shortly after by Christian Eriksen being thwarted by Kamil Grabara's diving save.

Onana's penalty save denied Copenhagen late in the game.

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Alejandro Garnacho had a golden opportunity to give the home team the lead during a counterattack, but his heavy touch allowed Grabara to safely collect the ball. Nevertheless, minutes later, United seized the advantage as Maguire, a player who often faces criticism from fans, headed Eriksen's exceptional cross into Grabara's net.

United and Maguire had a crucial goal at stake, especially after Maguire lost his captaincy in the summer and seemed to have fallen out of favor with ten Hag.

As the game became more open, Garnacho and Scott McTominay had opportunities to secure the victory, but unfortunately, they missed their chances. These missed opportunities could have cost United dearly when Copenhagen was given a penalty due to McTominay's high boot towards Elyounoussi.

Jordan Larsson took the spot kick in stoppage time to secure a draw, but Onana thwarted the visitors with an impressive save, using his strong right arm to bat away the penalty. Onana, the Cameroonian international, has made a number of mistakes since joining United this season, including in a recent Champions League loss against Bayern Munich. This penalty save helped make up for those errors, and his teammates celebrated the heroic moment by mobbing him.

"Im very pleased, it was a narrow escape as we needed to win," ten Hag told reporters after the match.

Maguire scores his first goal of the season.

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We put in a lot of effort to secure that victory. Although the first half was not up to par, we managed to turn things around by scoring a goal. However, we then unfortunately gave away a weak penalty. Therefore, winning today was crucial for us.

When asked about his penalty save, Onana humbly stated that he was simply doing his job. He remained calm, unfazed by any pressure, and made himself appear larger in the goal. He patiently waited until the last moment to make the save.

He also praised Maguire for his winning goal, stating, "He was the hero tonight, and I'm thrilled for him. He consistently delivers strong performances, but it's important for us to maintain this level and undoubtedly, we will become even stronger."

With this pivotal victory, United now sits in third place in their Champions League group, just one point behind Galatasaray and trailing Bayern by six points. Bayern secured a 3-1 victory over the Turkish team in Tuesday's other Group A match.

Uniteds next game is at home against rival Manchester City on Sunday: win that and youd think the clubs challenging start to the season will be well on the road to recovery.