Cristiano Ronaldo marked his return to Manchester United with his 701st career goal to seal a comfortable Europa League victory over Sheriff Tiraspol at Old Trafford.
Left out for last weekend’s trip to Chelsea as punishment for refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham eight days ago, Ronaldo looked set to be handed a starting role by manager Erik ten Hague. The goal was not to score.
But with nine minutes remaining, the Portuguese great headed in Bruno Fernandes’ cross. Sheriff keeper Maxime Cowell made a low save but as the ball broke loose, Ronaldo fired over to complete United’s biggest win of the season and extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to seven matches.
It was a positive end to a difficult week for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“He kept going and the team kept putting him in the right position,” TenHaeg said. “He was going to put himself in the right position. He didn’t give up and I think that’s what he did throughout his career and it finally paid off.”
For United, it sets up a Europa League group decider with Real Sociedad in Spain next week, when the Premier League side must avenge their matchday 1 defeat – and win by two goals in the process – To top the group and survive the game. This could put them up against European heavyweights Barcelona, ​​Juventus or Atletico Madrid.
Diego Delot put the hosts on course for victory with a near-post header from Christian Eriksen’s corner a minute before the break.
Substitute Marcus Rashford then headed home Luke Shaw’s left wing cross in the second period.
Ronaldo Eventually Gets It Right
The problem with anticipating any negative reaction to Ronaldo comes from the knowledge that when fans call out his famous ‘Siuu’ celebration, it sounds a lot like a bong.
There was certainly a noise that was not a happy one when the Portuguese’s name was read out just before kick-off and at best the reaction was mixed.
The truth is, at 37, Ronaldo has struggled to make an impact this season.
His best chance of the first half came when Bruno Fernandes headed home a header inside the six-yard box. Normally, a stabbing finish would have found the bottom corner. This time it went straight to goalkeeper Koval.
There was an audible gasp of anticipation at the start of the second half, when Ronaldo stepped to his left as he has done so often in his career to create space for a shot from the edge of the area.
The entire stadium was waiting for the net to bulge. Instead the shot flew to Ronaldo’s utter disbelief. Moments later he found the net with a volley, which was rightly ruled out for offside. Within moments a supportive chant of ‘Viva Ronaldo’ echoed around the ground.
It marked a turning point for the stadium. Ronaldo’s goal drew cheers, though the game was won. And the noise that came from the tunnel area on the way to the dressing rooms at the final whistle was very positive.
