Manchester United 2-3 Galatasaray: Wilfried Zaha expresses elation in return to Old Trafford, as Turkish giants edge past United

Manchester United ended up once again on the losing side as they were humiliated in the hands of Turkish giants Galatasaray, after their former front man Wilfried Zaha was on target for them. Argentine forward and former Inter Milan stalwart Mauro Icardi was on song once again as they handed United one more agonizing defeat at Old Trafford, in the wake of bad times in the “Theatre of Dreams”.

United loses, once again

Manchester United seems to have their lost their magic touch this season, and is slowly and steadily staring at a painful exit in UEFA Champions League after successive losses in the European elite competition. They are undergoing through a tumultuous phase, which has seen a disastrous defensive line-up, and coupled with the goalkeeping woes of Andre Onana, the Red Devils seem to be conceding two goals in every match. Their faltering forward line-up, which involved Jadon Sancho, Antony and Marcus Rashford seems to be misfiring as Erik Ten Hag has fallen out with former Manchester City academy product Jadon Sancho, owing to his “scapegoat” claims, and Antony, who has come to the squad following an investigation against him involving physical assault allegations by his former partner. And to add to their woes, United’s performance is under par, and they could be facing an extreme situation in the upcoming days unless they improve their conditions.

But, after a loss in the hands of Crystal Palace over the weekend, United aimed to go for a victory against Turkish side Galatasaray, little did they knew that an old friend of them would return to haunt Old Trafford.

Wilfried Zaha, the former Crystal Palace star, had been an integral part of Manchester United’s squad a decade ago, as he has plied his trade for the Red Devils in his sole season in 2013-14. This season, he had opted to leave England to pursue a new challenge, when he switched his allegiance to Turkish side Galatasaray. Last night, on his return to Old Trafford, he netted the first goal for his side, thus becoming an important member of the Turkish heavyweights, leading them to their first UEFA Champions League win this season.

A plethora of emotions

After the game, Zaha was asked for an interview with TNT Sports, thus detailing his wisdom behind his return to Old Trafford. This was his first game in the European top flight, thus the former English star described a plethora of emotions in the 72 minutes that he had played last night. When asked about his dream of playing in UCL finally came true, he was heard saying, “It literally is. It’s not even just the game, it’s the build-up. When we were driving here on the coach we were playing the Champions League music – it’s a different feeling. I’ve finally made it here. There’s nothing like it. It’s literally playing between the best and a chance to showcase my talent between the best. I feel like that’s where it is decided whether you’re good or not, so days like today are what it’s all about for me.”

He had given a sneak peek of his sole season at the Theatre of Dreams, thus highlighting the essence of playing in the European top flight, and to score a goal in his first game, that too, against his former club, surely emotions could have got the better of him, as he explained those as “explosion of emotions.”

He further said about elevating Galatasaray to the next round, “What is important for me is to raise Galatasaray’s name to the place it deserves – that is at the top.” With four points from two games, the Turks are well on course for the second round, as they would be facing Bayern Munich in their next, while Manchester United needs to diagnose their problem before their next game as soon as possible.