Manchester United headed to Galatasaray for their penultimate game of the UEFA Champions League group stage knowing they had to win. With the Red Devils sitting bottom of their group with only three points, a defeat in Istanbul would confirm their exit from Europe.
As a result, Erik ten Hag's men had no room for error. Fortunately, club captain Bruno Fernandes stepped up with two important contributions early in the first half, the first being an assist for the opening goal.
The Portuguese ace set up youngster Alejandro Garnacho in the 11th minute to give the visitors a much-needed lead on hostile territory. However, the 29-year-old left the best for later as he got himself on the scoresheet only seven minutes later with a phenomenal goal.
Manchester United capitalized off of a lovely pass from Luke Shaw, finding the captain in the left-half space. The midfielder then turned and carried the ball before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net from outside the penalty box. Check out his brilliant goal in the clips below (videos are geo-restricted).
BRUNO FERNANDES, OH MY WORD.
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 29, 2023
Man Utd are two up against Galatasaray!#UCL pic.twitter.com/vDAhhafkp2
WE DO TALK ABOUT BRUNO!
— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 29, 2023
A STUNNER FROM MAN UTD'S CAPTAIN! pic.twitter.com/yfDt2DYnCP
Unfortunately, Manchester United's two-goal lead did not last long. Hakim Ziyech pulled one back for the hosts, scoring from a free kick to give Galatasaray a lifeline.
While the Turkish giants cannot secure progression to the round of 16 with a win versus the Red Devils, the Lions can eliminate Ten Hag's men from the competition, which would get rid of a huge rival.
As for the Premier League giants, a draw would keep their hopes alive so long as Copenhagen do not beat Bayern Munich. However, they would still have to beat the Bundesliga champions in their final group stage game — a draw would suffice only if the other two teams share the points on the final day as well.