What a game it was for Manchester United against Atalanta.

The game started quickly and I am sure it was one where as a player you can quickly be surprised if you’ve not prepared really well for the game. You often see players getting each other amped up for the game before kick-off, but the mind still isn’t always ready. 

Then you can get caught out, especially when you’re facing a club that is so focused on building every year in getting better and making a shock to the big clubs like Man Utd.

The key to win this battle yesterday was how to start fast and make sure you finish your chances. Man Utd didn’t do either of those things and that’s how they found themselves 2-0 down at half-time.

They had many opportunities but could not take them. The mental strength was surely tested and sometimes you play in a team where you want to finish the game off as early as you can. The chances came for the players like Rashford and Ronaldo, which you would hope to have before the game kicked off, with both players coming close in the beginning with some 1v1s that got stopped or they hit the crossbar. The game started to look tense when Atalanta would attack after already leading by two. 

Then the moment came where United were waiting for Rashford to get them back into the game, and that was followed by Maguire’s goal, who was playing in a backline that looked shakey and like they could concede at any time. They kept on pushing and now it was down to the one person that has so much mental strength. Some forget how hard it is to stay focused knowing you have missed a few chances, but know you have to keep pushing and it will come. 

There is no one better in this situation, who can go and win a game in those tense moments than Ronaldo, who has shown it time and time again throughout his career. He jumped as high as only Ronaldo can, and made a powerful connection with the ball to put his header into the net.

Ronaldo never stops believing no matter what is happening around him. This was also the perfect reminder to anyone playing against him that the game is only finished when the ref stops the game, and anything before that, no matter how well you’re playing, can be crushed by Cristiano scoring a great goal. That’s why this guy is so focused for the whole game, and has been throughout his career. #mmlove