watching replays of United’s legendary comeback against Bayern Munich served as a key source of motivation for their unbelievable fightback against Lyon.
The Red Devils appeared to be heading for a European exit after trailing 4-2 to a Lyon side reduced to ten men.
However, Bruno Fernandes sparked hope with a penalty, before late strikes from Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire completed an astonishing revival—prompting Amorim to sprint down the touchline in pure joy.
The victory not only propels United into the Europa League semi-finals, but also keeps their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League very much alive.
After the match, Amorim explained that iconic moments from the club’s storied past served as powerful inspiration for the players in mounting their late surge.
“It was hard and I was watching again, 1999, the commentary [vs Bayern Munich], to have some inspiration for this moment,” he said to TNT Sports.
“It was a great night. I think the team was tired and you feel it during the game and then 2-2 with one more player. It changed everything and you think it’s over but here, it’s never over.
Asked if he still had belief after Lyon’s comeback of their own, the Portuguese coach said: “I felt that here everything is possible and then you feel the environment and then after the 4-3, the penalty from Bruno, you feel like we can change the game.”
Looking at replays of Maguire’s winner, Amorim could not wipe the smile off of his face and claimed it would be one of the standout memories of his career.
He added: “When you saw the goals of Kobbie and Maguire, the sound of the stadium was the best sound ever. You want to keep that.
“I just want to keep that sound because it’s the best sound. I look at the fans and they are crazy. I feel sorry for the people that had to leave at the 2-4 because of the traffic.”
Man United will now face Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals as they attempt to book a Champions League spot. The game brings with it an intriguing statistic given the final of the competition will be in the same stadium.
Asked if there is believe that his team could win the competition, Amorim added: “Yes. You can see the stadium, everyone can believe that is possible.
“We have to be a little bit lucky with the injuries to reach that with some players. It’s going to be tough. The last final I had in my career was in Turin and the semi-final was in Turin so we lost the final so we can change that.”
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