Manchester United players console Benfica goalkeeper Mile Svilar as Jose Mourinho reveals they forced error
The 18-year-old carried the ball over the goal line on his Champions League debut to gift Manchester United a 1-0 victory in Lisbon
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United may have benefitted hugely from Benfica goalkeeper Mile Svilar’s mistake that gifted the Premier League side victory, but that did not stop a number of their players consoling the 18-year-old immediately after the full-time whistle.
United escaped the Estadio da Luz with a 1-0 victory after Marcus Rashford’s free-kick was carried over the line by the teenage goalkeeper in the 64th minute, a mistake that cost the Portuguese side their first point in this season’s Champions League.
Svilar’s error came on his European debut, an appearance that set a new record for the youngest goalkeeper in the Champions League as he beat Iker Casillas’s record and, up until that point, he did not look out of place following a string of impressive saves.
But following his high-profile error Svilar appeared visibly distraught, only for a number of United fans to approach and console him.
United striker Romelu Lukaku was seen taking the time to speak to the teenager in an attempt to make his fellow Belgian feel better, with the pair sharing a link through playing for Anderlecht back in their homeland earlier in their careers.
Goalkeeper David De Gea also gave Svilar a short message as he patted him on the back, while other United players made a point of shaking his hand before leaving the field.
However, while United manager Jose Mourinho talked up Svilar’s talents, he did admit that there was a plan in place to try and put the youngster under pressure to see if they could draw an error that would lead to a goal.
“I knew how good he was and I told the players how good he was, but we had a little bit of a strategy, especially on set pieces to try to make him uncomfortable,” Mourinho said afterwards.
“So in the corners we put a lot of players close to him to take his confidence for him not to come out. And then in free-kicks we knew he risks a lot, but only top goalkeepers risk like he does. And we were a bit lucky and he was unlucky.”
Perhaps the most impressive part of Svilar’s European debut was the fact that he faced members of the media after the match to insist that he is ready to bounce back from the error, and that he is not overly disappointed in himself given it is something that will happen to all goalkeepers – especially those as young as he is.
“I think I could have done better in the goal, but there’s nothing I can do now,” Svilar said. “It didn’t affect me, so I am ready for this. It’s part of the growing up process, we cannot turn it back.
“My record is important but it’s just a game. In Benfica our aim is to win each match, especially in our stadium with such amazing fans with us so we cannot be glad by losing the game. The coach told me to play like I train, so nothing special.”
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