Bruno Fernandes reacts to Matic posts with Man United ‘brothers’ amid Onana spat
Bruno Fernandes has reacted to a message from Nemanja Matic in the wake the Lyon midfielder’s spat with the Man United captain’s teammate Andre Onana.
The two sides went head to head on Thursday night (10 April) in the first leg of their Europa League quarter final.
It came amid a backdrop of a war of words between Matic and Onana sparked by comments in the build to the game.
After the midfielder had claimed that Onana is one of the worst goalkeepers in the Red Devils’ history, he hit back by pointing out that unlike Matic, he has won a trophy with Man United.
Andre Onana flops in Lyon
Although he was an unused substitute in that game, Matic will still feel he got one over on Onana in the match itself.
As the two sides played out a 2-2 draw, the Man United goalkeeper made two costly errors to concede those goals.
After flapping at a free kick that allowed Lyon to go 1-0 up, the goalkeeper then parried a shot straight to Rayan Cherki in second half stoppage time to gift the French side an equaliser.
| Andre Onana vs Lyon | Total (as per SofaScore) |
| Saves | 3 |
| Goals Prevented | -0.72 |
| Errors Leading to Goal | 1 |
| Successful Passes | 23/29 |
Meanwhile, despite his developing rivalry with Onana, Matic appears to still have good relationships with a number of those at Old Trafford.
After the game, the Lyon midfielder took Instagram to post a picture of himself with a number of the Red Devils’ backroom staff, before adding the caption: “Nice to see my brothers again”.
In response, Fernandes, who had been a teammate of Matic’s at Old Trafford, was among those to like the post.
Man United face big second leg after goalkeeper howlers
Football Insider Verdict
It almost goes without saying that Man United will be determined to find a way to beat Lyon in the second leg at Old Trafford next week.
Not only is the Europa League their only chance of winning silverware this season, it is their only hope of securing that all important Champions League qualification spot for the 2025/26 campaign.
Had it not been for those errors made by Onana, there is a good chance that Ruben Amorim‘s side would be in an strong position to do just that.
As it is this tie is still far from over, and the goalkeeper may regret getting involved with Matic, given the extra pressure it added on him during the game, and the scrutiny he is now under.