Cristiano Ronaldo had a disappointing night for Manchester United against Omonia as he failed to score his 700th career goal.
Ronaldo continued to struggle this season to score from open play, and he appeared irritated and restless. Erik ten Hag gave him entire 90 minutes, and his teammates went all-out to provide him with opportunities he couldn’t take advantage of.
The 37-year-old attempted eight efforts on goal, all of which were blocked by the goalkeeper. However, Erik ten Hag has still praised the legendary striker’s performance despite his lack of success in front of goal.
After the 3-2 victory, the manager praised Ronaldo, saying he had a positive impact on the team as a whole. As stated by the Manchester Evening News, the gaffer said:
“The first two, good saves from the goalie, so he had a couple of chances, he created a couple of chances. He was involved in a good run with the first goal for Marcus Rashford, so he had an impact in this game. I think we created a lot of chances tonight, we count them only in the first half already 14, so there was a lot of threat to the opponent’s goal.”
Ronaldo is still in search of his 700th goal as he has been unable to score a goal from open play since his match-winning goal against Chelsea on April 28th. Although it’s unclear if it was a pass or a missed shot, the veteran forward ultimately provided an assist for Marcus Rashford’s game-winning goal.
Ronaldo’s missed opportunities were not costly because United won the game but had United lost, there would have been much more focus on his performance.
The striker missed multiple opportunities against a side that was obviously weaker, and this was a squandered chance for him to gain confidence.
