1 of 7Photo: Peter Powell/EPA
(Manchester United – Villarreal 2-1) Villarreal sometimes played for Manchester United. Then Cristiano Ronaldo (36) appeared at the back post in extra time.
– That’s why I came back, because I missed this club. I made history at this club and I want to do it again. Another chapter in history, Ronaldo tells BT Sport.
The 36-year-old put the ball in goal in front of the Stretford End, tore his shirt off and cheered unfettered after sealing the game for Manchester United – who had big problems against Villarreal.
Life is hard on the sidelines, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cheered, and in the stands Sir Alex Ferguson smiled from ear to ear. So did what was once the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt, who was also at Old Trafford.
– That’s what happens at Old Trafford. We had to put the warning aside and got lucky in the end,” Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told BT Sports after the match.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who until the goal was an unknown night at work, set another record: He played his 178th Champions League game on Wednesday. Nobody has more in the world’s most generous club tournament.
He is already the best player in the Champions League with 136 goals in the tournament, and once again he was decisive.
The result came when the match clock showed 94.13 – Manchester United’s last Champions League winning goal. Thus Ronaldo takes the “record” from his coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who became the champion in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 1999 when the match was 92 minutes 17 seconds.
When you have Cristiano on the field, you always have a chance, says Solskjær.
– He is very good in front of goal and affects everyone. Both spectators and his teammates praise the Norwegian even more, adding that his adrenaline barely makes him sleep well at night.
Because he was too far from the Red Devils.
Alex Telles had already leveled 1-1 with a superb shot from Dream, shortly after Paco Alcacer gave Villarreal a well-deserved lead.
Villarreal sometimes played for Manchester United, but David de Gea, the scapegoat from their previous encounter in the yellow jersey, showed his best team and got some kind of revenge after several great saves.
“I always had faith that we would win,” Bruno Fernandes told BT Sports after the match.
– There were some great saves from David which confirmed it was still 1-1, he adds.
De Gea’s best save came after just over 17 minutes, when he was very quick with his arm after a header from Paco Alcacer in a good position.
Unai Emery and Villarreal had plenty of chances, and with more efficiency they could break through the match before the break. But Manchester United rose after Alcacer hit a boiling hole in his goal after 53 minutes, and finally earned their first Champions League points of the fall, having opened Group F with a disappointing 1-2 away loss to Swiss Young Boys.
It is almost a shock to see Manchester United played by a team that is in the middle of the table in La Liga. It’s a sporting crisis, said TV2 expert Morten Langley after the first round at Old Trafford.
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But as so many times before, Cristiano Ronaldo, who now holds the title as the player with the most matches and goals in the Champions League, was decisive, providing three very important points to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and co, who has a possibility a month ahead of the season. .
In October, the Red Devils will face Everton, Leicester, Atalanta, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Atalanta leads the group after two days of matches with four points. They fought for a 1-0 win over the Young Boys earlier on Wednesday night.
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