Cristiano Ronaldo played the whole game for Manchester United in their latest Europa League outing against Cypriot side Omonia FC. The game almost got away from United; they got down by one goal heading into the break. Thankfully for them, they were able to come back and make the game 3-1. In the final minutes of the game though Omonia made the game 3-2, and had United sweat it out until the final whistle.
During and after the game Cristiano was bombarded on social media with memes featuring Wayne Rooney trying to get his young son to score a goal on an empty net. People jokingly mentioned that that’s exactly what United players were trying to get Ronaldo to do. Was his performance really that bad? What does this showing mean for Ronaldo moving forward?
Cristiano Ronaldo musim ini :#UEL#MUFCpic.twitter.com/QKmHgDfrLx
— Cakwe Anbu 🦊👺🌵🥀 (@YareY4r3Daze) October 7, 2022
United’s Overall Performance In The Matchup
The final score is certainly tighter than it maybe should’ve been. This can give people who just look at the box score a wrong idea about what truly happened in the game. The first Omonia goal was a by-product of Manchester United’s really high pressure. You’re talking about a ball that was lost by the last man on defense for United, and he was well within the opponent’s half of the field. They get caught on that breakaway.
From that moment on though it was just an offensive practice for Manchester United. We say this with all due respect to the Cypriot side they defended valiantly, but there’s an argument to be made that if United players were not actively looking to get Ronaldo to score the score line would’ve been much more extensive. Dalot has a play where he literally dribbles past the keeper, and has an empty net, but he decides to wait for Ronaldo, and give him the ball. Ronaldo though ends up finding it just wasn’t his day in front of goal.
How do I explain to My Grandchildren That Cristiano Ronaldo the G.O.A.T missed this against Omonia Nicosia 🤯😭😭#OMOMUN pic.twitter.com/yU8tr7Jqik
— Murifee | Darsil254 (@BigmanDarsil) October 6, 2022
Marcus Rashford took advantage of two Ronaldo runs, though, to score a brace for himself. Overall the game should serve to ease the pain that United are feeling after the loss in the derby. Of course, the level of competition that they faced today was nowhere near Manchester City’s level. Let’s be clear though, there are only 1 or 2 teams in Europe that we could put on Manchester City’s level.
Can Ronaldo Find A Way To Build Up Some Steam In The Europa League?
While the Memes were not necessarily off the mark, United players were blatantly looking to get Ronaldo to score, it must be said though, that Cristiano’s presence up top really does impact the game. If you want to look at the glass as half empty you could make the argument that Man City players for example wouldn’t have been as concerned with where Ronaldo was on the pitch at all times like Omonia players clearly were. Also, Portugal, and potentially United as well would love to see Ronaldo scoring goals particularly coming into the World Cup. It actually is a good idea to get him involved in these Europa League games against weaker competition. Regardless of his age he still could get back in rhythm.
When you look at Ronaldo you do see a player that is mentally struggling. What you can’t say though is that the game has moved past him. He’s not the typical old guy who’s playing at a different speed than the rest of the guys on the field. Is he playing at a different speed compared to his old self? Sure, that’s a fair argument, but his prime speed was faster than anyone else’s on the planet at one point. If he can get some confidence back he very well could be an asset to both club and country. The problem for Portugal is that the World Cup is right around the corner. Time is running out to find that playing shape.
