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21st September 2023
02:41pm BST
Bruno Fernandes has offered his support to Manchester United teammate Andre Onana after his mistake on Wednesday night.
Onana was at fault for the first goal after he allowed Leroy Sane’s shot to slip through his finger tips before Serge Gnabry then doubled the hosts’ lead four minutes later and put Bayern in the driving seat come half time.
United then halved the deficit early in the second half thanks to Rasmus Hojlund’s first goal for the club only find themselves two goals behind again as Harry Kane scored from the penalty spot after Christian Eriksen was controversially adjudged to have handled the ball.
Erik ten Hag’s side then gave themselves a lifeline as Casemiro pulled one back five minutes from time but Bayern Munich stretched their lead beyond doubt as Mathys Tel made it 4-2 only for Casemiro to once again score late on in a seven-goal thriller.
After the game, the United 'keeper requested to speak to the media and said he felt like he had let the team down.
He told TNT Sports: "After my mistake, we lost control of the game. It’s a difficult situation for us, especially for me because I’m the one who let the team down.
"The team were very good but we didn’t win this game. We have to move forward because this is the life of a footballer. I have to recognise that because of me we didn’t win. I have a lot to prove."
Despite the Cameroon international's comments, captain Fernandes rallied behind him and insisted that Onana will be crucial for Erik ten Hag's side this season.
"It’s not about Andre," Fernandes said.
"Andre is a great goalkeeper. He will keep giving us a lot of points, a lot of saves.
"He hasn't got to take any blame for nothing. We have to take the blame as a team that we're going to go through this moment together because we are strong as a team."
Despite falling to defeat, the Portugal international felt there were still plenty of positives to take from the performance in Munich.
Fernandes added: "The positive is that the spirit, the fighting spirit was there. We tried.
"It still wasn't enough to win or to get something from the game, but in periods the team showed great spirit. We have to do it more often and for 90 minutes.
"I think no-one would expect us to come into Bayern and score three goals. We're not playing against some bad team. We were playing one of the best teams in the world, with great players and great qualities.
"Bayern had some chances, yes. Obviously when you go behind, you will get open spaces for them, and you know that against big teams like Bayern they can hurt you."
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