Red Devils cruise to knockout qualification
Ronaldo, who was left out of the squad for the weekend Premier League trip to Chelsea for disciplinary reasons, scored United’s third goal after Diogo Dalot and Marcus Rashford had given the home side a comfortable lead.
United are in second place in Group E with 12 points from five matches ahead of their visit to Real Sociedad in their final pool game next week, where victory could see them top the table and book a place straight into the last 16.
As expected, Manchester United dominated possession from the off, pouring the pressure on their travelling counterparts.
Much to the chagrin of the home crowd however, the United attackers could not find a way to unlock the Sheriff backline in the opening exchanges. Perhaps the best chance of the first half fell to United talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Portuguese star was somehow denied from a yard out by Maksym Koval in the Sheriff net.
Finally, the hosts were rewarded for their efforts when Diogo Dalot rose above the visitors’ defence to head home from a corner in the dying minutes of the half to give United a deserved lead.
Ronaldo looked to make up for his howling miss on the hour mark when he stabbed the ball home from a Bruno Fernandes cross.
However, the goal was ruled out due to offside, seeing United’s advantage remain at one for the time being. The home crowd did not have to wait long to see the game be put to bed though, as Marcus Rashford nodded home a Luke Shaw cross from close range to cap off a superb team move.
The final nail was driven into Sheriff’s coffin in the dying minutes when Ronaldo collected his own rebounded shot and tapped home from point-blank range.
After an opening round win in the Group, four straight losses were the downfall for the Moldovan league leaders. However, their defeat at Old Trafford may not come as a surprise to the Sheriff faithful, as no Moldovan team has ever defeated English opposition in European competition.
Post a Comment