Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United return assessed as he helps Juventus to victory
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford under a cloud but out on the pitch his presence was a reminder of what Manchester United lack…
Several minutes had passed since the final whistle and most of the players had already disappeared down the tunnel when two young Manchester United fans decided to try their luck. One after the other, and from different corners of Old Trafford, they jumped over the advertising hoardings and hurtled towards Cristiano Ronaldo.
Both were mobbed by security guards before they could reach him, but not before the first had pulled a mobile phone from his pocket. Ronaldo took it from him and happily obliged with a selfie, drawing cheers from the stands. Having earlier created the goal which gave Juventus their 1-0 win, yes, it is fair to say he enjoyed his return to Old Trafford.
The 33-year-old had struck a defiant tone on the eve of the game, reiterating his denial of the rape allegation levelled against him and defending his reputation. What happens next in that case remains to be seen, but what is certain is that it did not distract him from the task at hand. This was not Ronaldo at his blistering best. But he was still instrumental in the win.
Ronaldo’s reception was not on the same level as the one he received when he returned to Old Trafford for the first time in 2013, but he was still loudly cheered when the teams were read out before kick-off. Outside the stadium, fans could be seen snapping up replica scarves bearing his name from opportunistic merchandise vendors.
„He will always be a huge player for us,“ said one season-ticket holder milling about near the Sir Matt Busby statue outside the East Stand.
Ronaldo looked around his old home and smiled broadly as he stepped out onto the pitch with his team-mates, and from the first whistle he looked at it. In the sixth minute, there was smart footwork as he turned away from Ashley Young and drew the first of many fouls. Soon after that, he provided a glimpse of his old pace as he beat the same man to a loose ball.
Ronaldo’s starting position was on the left, but he was given licence to swap positions with Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado, and it was from the right that he set up the goal. Chris Smalling could not get enough on his wicked, near-post cross and the loose ball fell to Dybala, who finished coolly past the exposed David de Gea from close range.
Ronaldo came close to scoring himself soon after half-time, forcing an acrobatic save from De Gea with a rising drive from 18 yards out, but his performance was more a story of maturity and, believe it or not, teamwork. He only misplaced three of his 35 passes. There were stepovers but there was also sensibleness. He helped retain possession with the ball and ran the channels willingly without it.
While Ronaldo and his fellow Juve forwards shone, United’s floundered.
For Lukaku, it was an eighth consecutive game without a goal and further proof he struggles against the top sides. Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini are formidable opponents – Mourinho joked they should give centre-back classes at Harvard University after the game – but it was still damning his first and only shot came in the 83rd minute.
Either side of him, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial fared little better.
A darting dribble into the box by Rashford was a rare moment of individual inspiration in the first half, but there was little else from him to get fans off their feet. At the break, he had only completed three passes. By the end of the game, he had not had a single shot on goal.
Martial offered slightly more in that regard, forcing Wojciech Szczesny into a rare save in the closing stages, but on the only occasion he made it in behind the Juventus defence, Bonucci was there to snuff out the danger with a precise sliding tackle. Paul Pogba struck the post soon after that, but United finished the game with six shots to Juve’s 14.
Their attacking issues were compounded by a lack of alternatives on the bench. Alexis Sanchez, the latest in a long line of players to have struggled since taking on Ronaldo’s No 7 shirt, was out with an injury, and with Jesse Lingard and Marouane Fellaini also absent, Mourinho’s only attacking option was untested 18-year-old Tahith Chong.
Mourinho defended the misfiring Lukaku in his post-match press conference, describing him as a „fantastic professional who wants to give everything for the team“, but the Belgian’s disappointing performance, together with those of Rashford and Martial, contrasted sharply with Ronaldo’s purposeful and professional display for Juventus.
The Portuguese has found himself in the eye of a storm off the pitch, but he is unaffected on it and his ability to consistently influence the big occasions evidently remains. It is almost a decade since his departure, but this return to Old Trafford was a reminder of what United are missing. The pitch invaders after the final whistle suggest the fans know it, too.
Soccer Accumulator Bonus
Our fantastic Euro Soccer accumulator offer gives you the chance to earn a bonus of up to 100% on accumulators on the top domestic leagues in Europe along with the group and knockout stages of the Champions League.
This offer applies to returns on pre-match accumulators of 3 or more selections on Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga 1 or UEFA Champions League.
The maximum bonus that you can receive is ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. The bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based .on the remaining active stake. If a qualifying bet is edited .using our Edit Bet feature. The bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply. Double Chance bets or combination bets with bonuses. Such as Lucky 15’s or Lucky .31’s do not apply for this offer.
If your bet is successful, we will add the following bonuses to your returns:
Bet Type Bonus
14-folds and upwards 100% bonus
Terms and Conditions
Applies to straight pre-match accumulator bets on the Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga .1 or Australian A-League matches. Maximum bonus ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. Soccer Accumulator Bonus does not apply to Double Chance bets or combination. bets with bonuses such as Lucky 15’s, Lucky 31’s etc.
If any selections are postponed/void then the bonus will still apply, but the percentage bonus added will reflect the actual number of winning selections. For example, an 8-fold accumulator with 7. winners and 1 postponed match will receive a 30% .bonus to returns.
The bonus part of your returns will be added to your account within 24 hours of your final selection having played.
This bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based on the remaining active stake.
If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, the bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply.
Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets placed by a customer or group of customers, which due to a deposit bonus, enhanced payments, free bets, risk free bets or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, bet365 reserves the right to reclaim the bonus element of such offers and in their absolute discretion either settle bets at the correct odds, void the free and risk free. bets or void any bet funded by the deposit bonus.
In addition bet365 .reserve the right to levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the deposit bonus, free bet, risk free bet or additional payment to cover administrative costs. We further reserve the right to ask any customer to provide sufficient documentation for us to be satisfied in our absolute discretion as to the customer’s identity prior to us crediting any bonus, free bet, risk free bet or offer to their account.
All bet365 offers are intended for recreational players and bet365 may in its sole discretion limit the eligibility of customers to participate in all or part of any promotion.
bet365 reserves the right to amend, cancel, reclaim or refuse any promotion at its own discretion.
