Manchester United came from behind to win 3-2 in Cyprus against Omonia in the Europa League on Thursday.
After the first-half fiasco, it was substitute Marcus Rashford who inspired the comeback by grabbing a brace and providing the assist for fellow substitute Anthony Martial to score.
The two strikers came on from the bench for Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes respectively.
Erik ten Hag fielded a relatively strong starting XI, as he handed over former Real Madrid pair Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro as starters after both started on the bench against Manchester City.
Ronaldo put on a much-improved performance to help his team emerge victorious on what almost turned out to be a disappointing night.
source: sofascore.com
source: sofascore.com
On another day, though, his input or lack thereof in terms of missed opportunities might have cost him his side.
The Portuguese recorded an assist to his name, for Rashford’s second goal of the game.
Ronaldo, in the 90 minutes he was on the pitch, attempted eight huge shots on goal. Of these, only one hit the mark. That came in the first half.
Six went wide, with the striker seeing another shot blocked. He also hit the woodwork once wide open from close range. How he didn’t score will remain a mystery forever.
Ronaldo was unable to successfully complete either of the two dribbles he attempted, a testament to his waning strength as the years seem to have caught up with him.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had 49 touches on the ball.
Of the 28 passes he attempted, 25 were successful, a passing accuracy of 89%. Three of these were key passes.
The 37-year-old won three of the seven ground duels and two of the four aerial contests he contested.
Ultimately, Ronaldo lost possession 9 times.
While yesterday’s performance was slightly better than his recent performances, the player still has a lot of work to do if he wants to put an end to the constant debates surrounding his role within the team.
At one point, it seemed like all his team-mates were trying to help him score in a bid to boost his confidence, but United’s number 7 just couldn’t take advantage of those opportunities.
Ten Hag will be disappointed to see how the Portuguese just can’t seem to find the back of the net even with the easiest chances.
