Ronaldo saves Man U again with another late winner in CL

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo saved Manchester United again in the Champions League. The greatest scorer in the competition’s history soared to head in an 81st-minute winner as United erased a two-goal halftime deficit to beat Atalanta 3-2 in a wild match at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

“His leap, his timing — it was the perfect header,” United captain Harry Maguire said. “He has come up with a massive goal again in the Champions League.”

Ronaldo’s record- extending 138th goal in the Champions League came three weeks after he scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to snatch a victory over Villarreal in the second round of games.

United did it the hard way again after falling 2-0 behind following goals by Mario Pašalić in the 15th minute and Merih Demiral in the 29th. The team was jeered off the field after the halftime whistle. However, United showed a different side in the second half, laying siege to Atalanta’s goal as Marcus Rashford reduced the deficit in the 53rd with a calm finish following a stunning outsideof-the-foot through ball by Bruno Fernandes.

Maguire swept in the equalizer in the 75th and Ronaldo met a cross by Luke Shaw for the winner, hanging in the air before planting a header down and inside the post. The Portugal striker made a last-ditch clearance in the final seconds and then fell to his knees at the final whistle as United fans sang his name.

Ronaldo has now scored six goals in eight games since returning for a second spell at United and he was playing his 300th game for the club.

United moved into first place in Group F, two points above Villarreal and Atalanta.

The win relieves some of the pressure on United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose team had won only two of its last seven games in all competitions. Solskjaer vowed to make changes to the team to restore some balance and he was true to his word, dropping Paul Pogba and pairing Scott McTominay and Fred in central midfield.