MY ACCOUNT
Cristiano Ronaldo said Manchester United must improve but they need time after the Red Devils superstar’s 91st-minute equaliser salvaged a dramatic 2-2 draw at Atalanta in the Champions League.
United had never lost four consecutive away games in the European Cup/Champions League, however, the underperforming side were facing more unwanted history until Ronaldo rescued a point in stoppage time on Tuesday.
Ronaldo capped a stunning team move in first-half stoppage time to cancel out Josip Ilicic’s 12th-minute opener in Bergamo, where Duvan Zapata restored Atalanta’s lead 11 minutes into the second half.
However, Ronaldo bailed out Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United again following another underwhelming display in Group F amid mounting pressure on the Norwegian manager – whose team have only won three of their past eight fixtures.
“It was a difficult game,” Ronaldo told BT Sport, with United level on seven points with Villarreal atop the group. “It’s always difficult here, but we believed until the end.
“I helped my team to get a point and I’m so happy.”
Ronaldo became the first United player to score in four consecutive Champions League appearances since Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2003.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner – aged 36 years and 270 days – also became the oldest player to score two or more goals in a game for United in European competition.
Ronaldo is also the second-oldest player to have netted a Champions League brace after Filippo Inzaghi (37 years and 86 days) in November 2010.
“We never give up and believe until the end. It’s a good result for us. In the beginning it was tough,” Ronaldo added.
“We knew Atalanta would put us under a lot of pressure. They’re always difficult to play against. We were a bit lucky at the end, but this is football.
“We have to still improve. We have to adapt to each other, but it will take time. We have time to improve and be better.”
