Cristiano Ronaldo was the hero once again after netting the winner for Manchester United, who rallied back from two goals down to defeat Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
UEFA Champions League
Result: Manchester United 3-2 Atalanta
Date: 20 October 2021
Venue: Old Trafford
Atalanta had a poor beginning to the encounter but took the lead against the run of play in the 15th minute. Luis Muriel drove down the right and he touched it to Davide Zappacosta, who put a dangerous, low cross into the six-yard box which Mario Pasalic got to ahead of Harry Maguire to tap it past David de Gea.
Five minutes later, Ronaldo took the ball to the byline, leaving Jose Luis Palomino on the floor, before lifting it into the box. It was too high for Bruno Fernandes, but Fred brought it down on the far side before firing a shot on goal, and Juan Musso got fingertips to it to tip it over.
Ronaldo's former Juventus teammate doubled the Serie A outfit's lead in the 28th minute. United struggled to defend another set-piece as Harry Maguire lost Demiral in the middle of the box and the defender was able to flick his header across goal past David de Gea and into the left-hand corner.
Fred and Marcus Rashford missed gilt-edged opportunities on the stroke of half-time as the Red Devils went into the interval 2-0 down.
Rashford pulled one back in the 53rd minute. It was a poor pass from Zappacosta which gifted the ball to Bruno Fernandes through the middle and he played a wonderful pass through to Rashford, who ran in behind the defence and coolly slotted it into the far corner.
In the 64th minute, Maguire passed it into Fernandes' feet and he had time to turn before threading it through for Ronaldo, who hit a low shot across goal and Musso got down well to push it away with a strong hand.
Maguire equalised in the 75th minute. The initial corner was poor from United, but Jadon Sancho kept it alive on the right and he curled it into the middle where Edinson Cavani flicked it on in the middle and it ran through to Maguire who fired it into the near bottom corner.
And as if the script had been written, Ronaldo came to United's rescue with five minutes to go in the most dramatic of fashions. Fernandes' corner was cleared, but United kept it alive and Luke Shaw swung a brilliant cross in from the left and Ronaldo rose imperiously before thumping his header past Musso from close range to put United ahead.
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