Altay Bayindir: From supporting actor to leading role

From supporting actor, goalkeeper Altay Bayindir transformed into the leading role, with a sublime performance, helping Manchester United defeat Arsenal right at Emirates, in the 3rd round of the FA Cup 2024/25.

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In this match, Altay Bayindir was given the opportunity to start in goal by coach Ruben Amorim instead of Andre Onana, and right above him was the central defender trio Lisandro Martinez – Harry Maguire – Matthijs de Ligt.

After a somewhat dull first half, the second half was much more exciting. Despite having less possession and fewer shots on goal than the home team, Man United were the first to open the scoring, with captain Bruno Fernandes scoring in the 52nd minute.

But less than 10 minutes later, the “Red Devils” were down to 10 men, when Diogo Dalot received a second yellow card for a rough tackle on Mikel Merino. Immediately after that, Man United conceded a goal, then the incident happened again when Harry Maguire tripped Kai Havertz in the penalty area, and referee Andy Madley pointed to the penalty spot.

However, a hero emerged from chaos, and Altay Bayindir flew to successfully block Martin Odegaard’s penalty from 11m away. During the remaining time of the second half and in the two extra periods, Ruben Amorim advocated pulling the team back, playing with 5 defensive players.