Manchester United came from behind in the second half to upset Omonia Nicosia 3-2 in the Europa League, avoiding an embarrassing loss.
Omonia Nicosia, fourth in the Cypriot league and coached by former Celtic manager Neil Lennon, led 1-0 at the halftime after a rapid break after a corner kick from Manchester United resulted in a goal by Karim Ansarifard.
Before Nikolas Panayiotou forced United to remain focused in the final stages after cutting the gap, Rashford made it 3-1 to conclude an excellent individual performance.
Despite trying his hardest, Ronaldo was unable to score his 700th career goal on a discouraging night that ended with a stunning miss that missed the post despite the goal being six yards away.
Despite dominating the first 30 minutes, United lacked efficiency in front of goal. While Ronaldo was thwarted by the outstanding Omonia Nicosia goalkeeper Fabiano with a deft low save, Bruno Fernandes sent a shot looping off the crossbar.
The seventh-placed team in the league who earned a spot in Europe by winning the Cypriot Cup for the first time in ten years was given room to develop by United.
Following a United corner, Jadon Sancho caused difficulties for Tyrell Malacia, and the fullback’s error allowed the visitors to advance. Omonia was in a three-on-one scenario as a result of Sancho’s failure to come back. Bruno passed the ball to Ansarifard, who took a touch before slamming it into the far right corner of David de Gea’s goal.
At halftime, Sancho and Malacia were penalized for their errors, and Ten Hag’s selection of Rashford to come off the bench proved to be a game-changer.
He leveled United in just eight minutes. The England international steadied himself before curling a deft finish into the far corner to spark the comeback after Fernandes swept a magnificent 50-yard ball into his path.
Rashford then created a sophisticated flick to locate Martial, a fellow substitute, in outer space. By promptly firing his shot and hitting the bottom corner, the Frenchman demonstrated his degree of confidence.
Ten minutes from the end, Ronaldo appeared to have averted a major crisis when he gave up attempting to score from every angle and delivered a deft ball across the goal for Rashford to tap in after hitting the post from six yards. Panayiotou’s goal into the top corner gave Omonia another chance to rally