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Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo bizarrely raised his arm following Scott McTominay’s injury-time winner against Omonia Nicosia on Thursday (October 16), puzzling onlookers.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored his 700th club goal in last weekend's 2-1 win over Everton, started in the UEFA Europa League Group E clash against Omonia at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese icon had a few decent chances to score but failed to find the back of the net, seeing two of his efforts saved by Omonia goalkeeper Francis Uzoho.
Having failed to breach Uzoho’s resistance in regulation time, Manchester United finally got their breakthrough through substitute McTominay in the third minute of added time. The Scot capitalized on Jadon Sancho’s deflected effort to fire past Uzoho from a mere eight yards out.
Ronaldo was right in front of Uzoho when McTominay dispatched his 93rd-minute effort. And, as pointed out by the Manchester Evening News, he bizarrely raised his arm as the ball went in.
The gesture looked similar to when opposition defenders usually appeal for offside. As McTominay’s shot zipped close to him on its way in, it was possible that Cristiano Ronaldo was checking whether or not he had interfered in the play. The goal ultimately stood, allowing United to escape with a narrow 1-0 victory against the Cypriot outfit.
After four rounds of fixtures, Manchester United find themselves in second place in the Group E standings with nine points. La Liga outfit Real Sociedad are currently leading the pack, courtesy of their 100% record in the competition thus far (12 points from four matches).
Manchester United legend Patrice Evra lauds “alien” Cristiano Ronaldo
In his Betfair column, Patrice Evra heaped praise on former teammate Ronaldo, calling him an extraterrestrial footballer.
The legendary Manchester United left-back admitted that he found it difficult to comprehend that the Portuguese had scored 700 goals in club football. Evra further claimed that Ronaldo’s exploits were down to his unmatched discipline.
Evra wrote:
“Cristiano Ronaldo is an alien. I won't call him the GOAT, because he's not from this earth. It's crazy. What I like about Cristiano is his discipline. When I was training with him, that's the word that I had in my head every single day."
Evra added:
“He's scored 700 goals. 700 times this guy has scored. I can repeat it over and over and it's still hard to believe. But it's Cristiano Ronaldo, alien is how I'd describe him. Incredible discipline to do it.”
The Manchester United no. 7 has featured in 11 games in the 2022-23 season, netting twice and claiming an assist.
