Nigerian goalkeeper Francis Uzoho goes viral after man-of-the-match performance for Cyprus club against Manchester United
Uzoho, 23, saved a staggering 12 shots at Old Trafford, before being beaten by Scott McTominay in a heartbreak – for Omonia – 93rd-minute winner.
A boyhood Manchester United fan, Uzoho made his dreams come true by playing at the ‘Theatre of Dreams,’ after Omonia’s first-choice keeper and fan favourite, Fabiano, was injured in a league game on Monday.
When the draw was made in August, Uzoho, who has played 25 times for Nigeria, replied to United’s tweet, saying “finally Theatre of Dreams here I come.”
Despite the stoppage time heartbreak, Uzoho appeared beaming at a post-match interview.
“I am not disappointed,” Uzoho told BT Sport. “We had a good game, I am happy, it is not an easy stadium to play at.
“It is a dream come true. I have dreamed to play here for a long, long time.
“When I saw the draw, I wanted to play and I got the opportunity.”
Uzoho’s heroics drew praise from BT Sport pundit and former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves.
“This game will change his career, arguably change his life,” Hargreaves said.
“He had the game of his life, he was amazing,” added Hargreaves who won the Champions League in 2008 with United and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Hargreaves went on to speculate that Uzoho’s performance against the Red Devils could earn him a transfer abroad.
“He will nick a move off that. To think he was their back-up goalkeeper. He was a wall. His agent will be on the phone and he will be having a Jerry Maguire phone call.”
To put Uzoho’s performance into context, his total of 12 saves is only four less than the World Cup record of 16, set by US goalie Tim Howard in 2014.
The Nigerian’s memorable night has justifiably made him talk of the town among football fans, with a video compilation of his saves shared on TikTok by @mufcstu_ amassing as of Friday afternoon more than 12 million views.
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