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| Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United scores the first goal to make it 0-1 during the UEFA Champions League match between Villarreal v Manchester United at the Estadio de la Ceramica on November 23, 2021 in Castellon Spain. |
Manchester United sealed qualification to the last-16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 win at Villarreal in Michael Carrick’s first match as caretaker manager.
Just a little over 48 hours since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked, second half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho was enough to see off the Spanish side which had been denied the lead on more than one occasion due to the brilliance of David de Gea.
On their way to the victory which sees them advance to the knockout stage of the competition for the first time in three seasons, their iconic number 7 set yet another record.
Ronaldo’s cool lob over the goalkeeper on 78 minutes made him the the first player from an English club to score in each of the first five matches of a single Champions League season (excluding qualifiers).
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| Jadon Sancho of Manchester United celebrates after scoring their side's second goal with Cristiano Ronaldo during the UEFA Champions League group F match between Villarreal CF and Manchester United at Estadio de la Ceramica on November 23, 2021 in Villarreal, Spain. |
The goal takes the Portuguese superstar’s leading tally in the competition to 140 and he now has 10 in 14 appearances since returning to Old Trafford.
Next up in United and Ronaldo’s sights is a huge Premier League clash against table toppers Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.