Cristiano Ronaldo believes Juventus should have beaten Manchester United “easily” on a night when the forward’s breathtaking volley counted for nothing.
After outclassing Jose Mourinho’s men at Old Trafford a fortnight ago in a win far more comfortable than the 1-0 scoreline suggested, the Serie A giants looked set to defeat them again.
Ronaldo’s exceptional volley against his former side left onlookers rubbing their eyes in disbelief – as did the late United comeback that would see the visitors seal a remarkable 2-1 win in Wednesday’s Champions League encounter.
Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratingsShow all 22 1 /22Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings
Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Wojciech Szczesny: 5 out of 10 Szczesny had very little to do for most of the game, but he flapped at the ball at the crucial moment for Manchester United’s winner. He did well to prevent Rashford extending the lead in stoppage time.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Mattia De Sciglio: 7 out of 10 A constant threat going forward on the right. Juventus were really unsettled defensively when De Sciglio was taken off.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Leonardo Bonucci: 7 out of 10 A quite magnificent pass over-the-top to set up Ronaldo. Solid defensively.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Giorgio Chiellini: 6 out of 10 Kept the visitors from producing many chances throughout the game. His team seemed to lose their cool after Mata’s free kick and he could have taken better hold of the situation defensively for the winner.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Alex Sandro: 6 out of 10 Not his most prominent performance. A few bright moments as an attacker. The own goal will go down as his, though the ball was heading in anyway.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Juan Cuadrado: 5 out of 10 Cuadrado might have been Juventus’ quietest individual when looking at the game as a whole, and he will rue his missed chance at 1-0.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Sami Khedira: 6 out of 10 Workmanlike and diligent on the left of the midfield three. Squandered one excellent opportunity.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Miralem Pjanic: 5 out of 10 Seemed strangely off kilter. His delivery was lacking for much of the evening.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Rodrigo Betancur: 7 out of 10 Very accomplished showing in midfield. Plenty of strong interventions and showed his range of passing. An emerging force.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Paulo Dybala: 6 out of 10 Flashes of his considerable brilliance (his curling, dipping shot that struck the crossbar a notable one) but not as ultimately impactful as his team needed him to be.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Cristiano Ronaldo: 7 out of 10 One moment of magnificence that for a time looked to have decided the game. The volley was simply sublime. Tormented Luke Shaw at times with his fancy footwork, but otherwise drifted in and out of the game, as is his wont.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings David De Gea: 7 out of 10 Two excellent saves from De Gea, one from a deflected cross and another from an edge-of-the-box curler soon after the hosts’ goal. He could do nothing about Ronaldo’s goal.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Ashley Young: 6 out of 10 Young struggled defensively at times but then produced a teasing delivery for the winner.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Chris Smalling: 6 out of 10 An average performance. Nothing of real note either positively or negatively.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Victor Lindelof: 6 out of 10 Lindelof will be disappointed that Ronaldo managed to get behind him, though both Bonucci’s ball and Ronaldo’s volley were magnificent. However, he made several crucial tackles and interventions during the rest of the game.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Luke Shaw: 6 out of 10 Many of Juventus’ brightest moments came down his channel, though Shaw was left a little isolated at times by Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Ander Herrera: 6 out of 10 Added vital balance to the midfield. Typically combative, though on the night that wasn’t a bad thing.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Nemanja Matic: 6 out of 10 An early booking meant Matic had to be careful, but he was nonetheless strong in defensive midfield. He appeared to collapse off-the-ball in stoppage time, but seemed fine as the game came to an end.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Paul Pogba: 5 out of 10 Pogba was rather dire in the first half and not hugely improved in the second on his return to Turin, but popped up late on to help force the winner. He also won the free kick for the opener.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Jesse Lingard: 6 out of 10 Wasted one good counter-attacking opportunity in the early stages. A quiet affair for Lingard.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Ander Herrera: 6 out of 10 Added vital balance to the midfield. Typically combative, though on the night that wasn’t a bad thing.
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Juventus vs Manchester United - player ratings Anthony Martial: 7 out of 10 Played from the left wing with Sanchez deployed through the middle. Worked relatively hard defensively and was composed in possession. Martial was a key catalyst in the comeback, taking the game to the Italians. His dribbling ability worried tired, aging legs, and one forward surge lead to the first goal.
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“I have seen the replay in the dressing room,” he told Viasat. “I didn’t realise it was a fantastic goal, but I did good movement and I kick with the ball strong.
“I was happy for the goal but we are a little disappointed because we should have won the game easily, by three or four goals.
“Manchester, they didn’t do much, in my opinion.
“They created two chances, set pieces, I know the English teams they are always looking for the set pieces.
“But we will learn from our mistakes and we are still top of the group so we are good.”
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