Watch: Why was Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez lifted out of the pitch by his opponents?

What started as a bright evening in Manchester for the Red Devils ended in disappointment after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Sevilla at the Old Trafford on Thursday (April 13) night.

SportsTak

• Fri • 14 Apr 2023

What started as a bright evening in Manchester for the Red Devils ended in disappointment after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Sevilla at the Old Trafford on Thursday (April 13) night.

The Red side of Manchester were cruising after a brace from Bayern Munich loanee Marcel Sabitzer, but then they conceded twice in a matter of 8 minutes, and that too via own goals, to ensure the first leg of their Quarterfinal clash ended in a stalemate.

They were also hit with injuries to both their central defenders, two key players in their team. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez limped off the pitch. The latter was actually carried off the pitch by players of their opponent team Sevilla — Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel — but not because he was wasting time, but because they are of the same country!

Montiel, Acuna and Martinez are all from the country of Argentina and were a part of the team that won the World Cup in 2022 alongside Lionel Messi. While Montiel played more minutes for his country than the rest, all three of the players were crucial to their team's trophy.

Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag suggested that Varane aggravated an injury that kept him on the sidelines after March's international break, while the Dutchman was concerned Martinez went down despite not challenging another player.

"Licha drops out after a moment when there was no opponent involved, it doesn't look that great so we have to wait. The same with Rafa, an injury he has complained about over the last few weeks, so we have to see how it is now," Ten Hag said.

Sabitzer's first-half double gave United control of the game, with the hosts dominating their Spanish opponents. Yet a Tyrell Malacia own goal six minutes from time handed Sevilla hope before Harry Maguire deflected into his own net in the 92nd minute.