Leyton Orient striker Jamie Donley says his wonderstrike against Manchester City would have counted for more had his side produced an FA Cup upset.
Donley’s incredible 45-yard effort will technically go down as an own goal for City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega but the on-loan Tottenham man deserves all the credit. His shot flew over the goalkeeper’s head, hit the bar and struck the legs of Ortega before going in.
Leyton Orient’s MAGIC moment 💫💫💫 pic.twitter.com/PMrpp0b9Li
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) February 8, 2025
League One side Orient led the Premier League champions for the next 40 minutes before the visitors hit back through a fortunate Abdukodir Khusanov goal before a piece of brilliance from Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne saw City through 2-1.
Donley told the BBC: “I thought we did well. We knew it would be a really tough game. I thought we gave a good account of ourselves. It’s disappointing to lose but I’m proud of the boys.”
On his goal, he added: “I know I hit the goal well. I knew it fell for me nicely. I saw him off his line and luckily it went in. It will be a happy moment. It would have been a lot nicer if we won. It was disappointing we lost but it was a good moment.
“They are a top team, they haven’t been doing what they have in recent years but you can see the quality that they had.”
Lewis relieved City scraped through
Rico Lewis, whose shot hit Khusanov before wrong footing home goalkeeper Josh Keeley and going in for the leveller, admitted City had been seriously tested at Brisbane Road.
He said: “Credit to Leyton Orient, they made it difficult for us to play. It’s easy to say it’s tougher than you think but we all know they’re tough. The crowd are right up for it.
“The season hasn’t panned out how we wanted it to. Every game now, as long as we win, it could be a great season for us.”