Cristiano refuses to let landmark night fall flat
CRISTIANO RONALDO had been here many times before — 177 before last night, to be precise. Standing in the middle of pitches all over Europe listening to that evocative Champions League anthem.
No 178 will always have a special place for Ronaldo, though. The night he set the all-time appearance record in this competition, and marked the occasion with a dramatic late winner deep into stoppage time.
The 36-year-old had equalled the mark set by his former Real Madrid team-mate Iker Casillas in Bern two weeks ago, but he is out on his own now and what a way to celebrate.
Clear of Casillas and other retired greats such as Xavi, Raul and Ryan Giggs. Crucially, still 27 games clear of Lionel Messi.
It is typical of Ronaldo’s rivalry with Messi that 24 hours after the little Argentine stole the headlines with his first Champions League goal for Paris Saint-Germain against Manchester City, Ronaldo was stealing back the limelight with his landmark appearance at Old Trafford — his first in Europe here for Manchester United in 12 years — and the winning goal for good measure.
He also leads Messi in Champions Leagues won (5-4) and goals scored (136-121), both all-time records which will see him crowned as the greatest player in the history of the competition unless the former Barcelona star can produce something special to stop him in the remaining years of their glittering careers.
None of which counted for very much last night as he and United threatened to disappoint on the big stage once again. How United weren’t three or four goals down by half-time is a mystery.
Ronaldo was a peripheral figure in the first half with only two half chances coming his way. The first, from Alex Telles’s corner in the eighth minute, was a header under pressure from three defenders which he directed over. The second, from Bruno Fernandes’s lob to the back post, was a volley that he fluffed from a tight angle.
When Paco Alcacer fired the Spaniards in front shortly after half-time, it was Ronaldo who tried to rouse his team-mates, but actions not words were needed at that point.
It came in the form of Alex Telles’s excellent volley from Fernandes’s free-kick. United were so poor, it always felt it would take a moment of individual brilliance to haul them back into the game.
Quite why they had to wait to go behind to wake up in this tie is another question for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It was a hallmark of their play last season and a bad habit that ultimately cost them.
But Ronaldo hasn’t got all these records for nothing. With just a few seconds remaining of five added on at the end of the game, Ronaldo got his first real chance of the game.
Players like him thrive on moments like that. Just when United needed him more than ever, he found the back of the net to get their Group F campaign back on track. Viva Ronaldo.