When Ronaldo gets the ball you're praying, admits Ferguson as United manager lauds former star after Real Madrid stalemate
By GRAEME YORKE
Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo after his former pupil scored in Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
Ronaldo drew his side level after 30 minutes following Danny Welbeck's opener with a sensational header.
'What a header. Unbelievable. You can't stop that,' Ferguson said of Ronaldo's goal. 'The spring, the way he holds himself in the air, the power in the header. I said to Patrick Evra at half-time, "you didn't challenge for that". And when I saw the video I thought, "what was I talking about?".
Embrace: Sir Alex Ferguson sung Cristiano Ronaldo's praises after the 1-1 draw in Madrid on Wednesday
Making his point: The former Manchester United star scored for Real Madrid with 30 minutes gone
Ronaldo was making his first appearance for Real Madrid since he left Old Trafford in 2009.
'I think it's difficult for Cristiano playing against us, his old team,' added Ferguson. There's a little bit of emotion attached to it for him because he had so many great years for us.
'But when he gets the ball you're praying, more than anything.'
Hang time: Cristiano Ronaldo scored against his former club with a well-executed header past David De Gea
Assessing a busy 90 minutes, Ferguson said: 'There were a lot of incidents in the game. We had lots of chances in the match and played some good attacking football at times but we did not get the possession we should have had.
'Real won possession without question, but it takes us back to Old Trafford with a great chance. "It will be very open. I think we'll score at Old Trafford. We have a big job on our hands but it is definitely within our grasp.'
Ferguson's counterpart Jose Mourinho expects the last 16 tie to go down to the wire after Wednesday night's draw.
Tough to watch: Jose Mourinho cut an animated figure on the touchline during the last-16 clash
'Nothing new. Not a surprising match, not a surprising result,' said Mourinho. 'I think basically (it was) what I was waiting for, which is everything very open for the second leg. As I was thinking, I think this will go to the last minute.'
Asked if the meeting had resembled a game of chess, the Portuguese replied: For them - not for us. They changed their way of play.
'They had the block very, very low in the second half. I think Rio (Ferdinand) and (Jonny) Evans - they didn't put one foot in our own half. They were waiting for a set-piece or a counter-attack.
Head boy: Danny Welbeck scored the opening goal of the game from a Wayne Rooney corner
'They defended well and the result is open. If you ask me percentages, I don't change one single number - 50/50.'
Mourinho remained upbeat about his side's chances heading into the Old Trafford rematch on March 5.
Asked whether the draw handed the advantage to United, he replied: 'No. We can score more than one goal there.'
He added: 'They had two big chances in the second half, but chances out of context because we were chasing the game and they were just defending. 'This is the Champions League and there are two matches, home and away. They did their match and they did it well.'
United striker Robin van Persie, who might have had a hat-trick on another night after spurning some inviting openings, was cautious in his assessment of the result.
Golden opportunity: Van Persie fluffs a great chance to give United the lead seeing his miscued effort cleared off the line by former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso (below)
A draw on the road, complete with an an away goal, represents a fine return for the Red Devils. but the Dutchman does not believe the fact that the sides head to Old Trafford for the deciding match will be a critical factor.
Asked if his side were now in pole position, he told Sky Sports 2: 'Slightly, (but) at this level these kind of teams don't really care if they play home or away.
'We don't really care; they don't really care. It's half-time and we will be ready for the second half.
'It was a good result away from home. People who have watched the game have seen chances for both sides. It was a great game to watch.'
Reflecting on his own chances, Van Persie admitted he was surprised to be leaving Madrid without a goal to his name.
'I had three (opportunities) in the second half, especially one where I hit the bar. It was a big chance and I should have put it in. With a bit of luck it could have gone in.
'Then in the dying seconds the keeper (Diego Lopez) made a great save. I was counting on that one going in.'
CRISTIANO RONALDO WATCH
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo faced former employers Manchester United for the first time on Wednesday night and did not disappoint.
Ronaldo, regarded as one of the two best players on the planet, produced a typically all-action display to keep Madrid in their Champions League last-16 tie with United. They will head to Manchester for the second leg with a 1-1 draw to build on, thanks largely to Ronaldo's performance.
GOALS
Ronaldo scores goals and lots of them. His strike on Wednesday night, a brilliant header after an impressively long time in the air, was his 183rd in 180 official matches since swapping red for white in the summer of 2009.
Ronaldo scores goals and lots of them. His strike on Wednesday night, a brilliant header after an impressively long time in the air, was his 183rd in 180 official matches since swapping red for white in the summer of 2009.
SHOOTING
Never shy of shooting, his first effort came eight minutes in and chances rained in after that, hitting a free-kick against the wall and volleying the rebound just wide. A second-half free-kick flashed narrowly over the bar and he was also denied by David De Gea, Jonny Evans and Rio Ferdinand.
Never shy of shooting, his first effort came eight minutes in and chances rained in after that, hitting a free-kick against the wall and volleying the rebound just wide. A second-half free-kick flashed narrowly over the bar and he was also denied by David De Gea, Jonny Evans and Rio Ferdinand.
POSITIONINGRonaldo started the game playing on the left-hand side and generally stayed there, although he occasionally switched to the right, most notably in the first half when he came in to connect with Mesut Ozil`s cross and score.
EXTRAS
A first-half shoulder flick into the path of Xabi Alonso caught the eye, as did a humbling of Rafael to lay on a move. But with Manchester United doing their best to keep him under lock and key, showboating was hard, even if he did try to score with a cute backheel.
A first-half shoulder flick into the path of Xabi Alonso caught the eye, as did a humbling of Rafael to lay on a move. But with Manchester United doing their best to keep him under lock and key, showboating was hard, even if he did try to score with a cute backheel.
CLASS
So used to scoring goals is Ronaldo that celebrating is not always on his mind, but it was particularly pertinent that he kept his reaction low key, putting an apologetic hand up.
So used to scoring goals is Ronaldo that celebrating is not always on his mind, but it was particularly pertinent that he kept his reaction low key, putting an apologetic hand up.
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