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Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has lauded his team following their victory against Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Europa League.
The Red Devils traveled to the Zimbru Stadium in Moldova on Thursday (September 15) for their second European outing of the season. They were clearly the better team and put in a professional display to register a 2-0 victory and their first points in this season's Europa League.
Jadon Sancho opened the scoring after 17 minutes while Ronaldo scored from the spot six minutes before half-time. It was the latter's first goal of the season in eight outings across competitions.
Ronaldo took to social media to congratulate the team after the match while also expressing his happiness upon finding the back of the net. He wrote on Twitter:
"Happy to score and help the team win! 3 important points! Well done lads 👏🏽💪🏽"
The Portuguese superstar has been criticized for his sub-par performances this season. Prior to the game in Moldova, Ronaldo had started two matches for Manchester United, with both ending in defeats (4-0 vs Brentford and 1-0 vs Real Sociedad).
However, he put in an improved display against Sheriff. The veteran striker started the game slowly, but eventually got into the groove. He received an opportunity to score when Diogo Dalot was brought down in the box.
Ronaldo made no mistake with the spot-kick to effectively seal the match for United with more than 45 minutes still to play. He ended the game with a passing accuracy of 83%, one successful ground duel and one clearance (as per Sofascore).
Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United will not be in action for two more weeks
Manchester United were scheduled to take on arch-rivals Leeds United at Old Trafford this weekend. However, the contest has been postponed due to a lack of sufficient police personnel following the death of UK monarch Elizabeth II.
With players heading into the international break next week, the Red Devils won't take to the pitch until October. Manchester United will return to Premier League action on October 2 with a visit to the Etihad to take on arch-rivals and reigning champions Manchester City.
The Cityzens, meanwhile, will be in action on Saturday, September 17, after their midweek win over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League. They will take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in a league fixture at the Molineux.
