United steal Ronaldo thunder, stage ‘fantastic comeback’
LATE SURGE Mata’s freekick in 86th minute, late owngoal negate Ronaldo’s stunning strike as Juve lose in Turin
TURIN: Jose Mourinho hailed a “fantastic victory” after Manchester United stole the thunder of Cristiano Ronaldo and a dominant Juventus with a 2-1 win in the Champions League on Wednesday. Ronaldo’s superb volley -- his first European goal for Juventus -- had put the Italian champions in control after 65 minutes, two weeks after Dybala scored the only goal at Old Trafford. But substitute Juan Mata’s free-kick on 86 minutes sparked a stunning revival that breathed new life into the visitors’ Champions League campaign.
Juve were then left in shock as Ashley Young’s free-kick from the left bounced in off a combination of Bonucci and Alex Sandro after a frantic scramble in front of goal. It left Mourinho’s side just two points behind leaders Juventus .“It’s a fantastic victory for us, a victory that is not just about the points we lost at home but the feeling of how well we played,” said Mourinho. “And I think even if this game hadn’t ended with victory I would have the same feeling that the team played really, really well from the first minute against a super team.” Juventus had dominated the match with Sami Khedira and Dybala both rattling the woodwork, only for the hosts to get distracted after Ronaldo’s goal.
WHY THE GESTURE
The gesture was meant to ask the Juventus fans why they were no longer taunting him, as they had throughout the game to reference to his time as manager of their rivals Inter Milan. AGENCIES