Manchester United came from behind to get one point from the Champions League clash against Atalanta. Cristino Ronaldo scored twice, with his equalizer coming in stoppage time.
Atalanta – Manchester United 2-2. You can watch all the goals here.
Man. United went from third in their group to first in the space of just a few seconds thanks to Ronaldo’s goal. The Red Devils won seven points from four games, the same as Villarreal, who came out 2-0 winners against Young Boys Bern on Tuesday. Atalanta are third in Group F with five points, while Young Boys sit bottom with three points.
“It was a difficult game. I know that when you play in Bergamo against Atalanta it’s always difficult but we believed until the end and I helped my team to get a point. I’m so happy,” Ronaldo said.
“We never give up. We believed until the end and that’s good. A good result for us, I think,” Cristiano added.
“In the beginning, it was tough. We knew that Atalanta would apply a lot of pressure. They have a fantastic coach, they know what to do all the time on the pitch. We defended well and we got a little bit lucky in the end that I scored a goal. This is football,” Ronaldo stressed.
Solskjaer: ‘If you want the ball going to someone in the last minute, Cristiano is the one’
Cristiano’s first goal came in the first minute of added time in the first half, with his second netted in the added minutes from the second half. His 2-2 goal was unannounced, with Ronaldo shooting beautifully from the edge of the box to make every opponent in front of him look wrong-footed.
“It was a tight game. Coming back and getting that goal at the end… it’s a massive point. The attitude and the quality that we showed towards the end were great,” manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said, then moving on to praise Ronaldo’s fantastic performance.
The Norwegian compared Ronaldo to basketball superstar Michael Jordan for his fantastic impact at Man. United.
“Cristiano’s goal is crazy, his second goal. He is one of the best that’s ever played this game. It’s the same feeling Chicago Bulls had with Michael Jordan. If you want the ball to fall to someone in the last minute, Cristiano is the one. He’s done it so many times for us,” Solskjaer commented.
The coach said he expected Ronaldo to find the rhythm in the Premier League a challenge, but, despite being 36, Cristiano never seemed bothered.
“I expect him to want to play every game. He’s such a winner. His mentality is spot on, he looks after himself and I thought the Premier League could maybe be a challenge, but no, he’s been incredible. He’s been top in the dressing room and all around the place for us,” Solskjaer said.
After his goal in Bergamo, Ronaldo broke the record for most stoppage-time goals in the Champions League. Before Tuesday evening, Cristiano was joint top with Leo Messi at seven goals each.
Ronaldo also brought United the three points against Villarreal in the Champions League this season, scoring the winner at Old Trafford in the sixth minute of added time.