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Winning at Juve offers a glorious reminder of Mourinho's abilities at the highest level
While Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that Manchester United were lucky to avoid a hammer blow in Turin, Jose Mourinho found himself in a win in retreat that recalled his ability to change the game at the highest level, writes James Robson.
Ronaldo did not try to hide his frustrations after watching his former camp knock out Juventus at a late show to ensure a 2-1 win.
His superb volley seemed to have settled the draw in Group H of the Champions League. Only two goals in the last five minutes tipped the match.
The Portuguese striker insisted that the attacking strikers were the only reason why United were leaving Italy with a win that put him on the verge of qualifying for the knockout stages, with Juan Mata scoring directly on a free kick and Alex Sandro shooting in his own goal Ashley Young in the 89th minute.
When Mourinho, Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini were interviewed by the game, Mourinho was unable to respond to the impact of his replacements.
Ronaldo said: "We are a little disappointed because we should have won the match easily, by three or four goals.
"Manchester, they did not do much in my opinion, they created two chances, set pieces, I know the English teams, they are always looking for the centerpieces.
"But we learned from our mistakes and we are still leading the group so we are good."
David de Gea produced exceptional saves in each half to prevent Juve, who also scored twice before the match entered the match. Ronaldo's goal in the 65th minute.
Mourinho appealed to Fellaini to try to save the game as he tried a more direct approach and praised the impact of the Belgian on the change of the game.
While Ronaldo rejected United's ability to create from open play, Mourinho explained in detail the effect of his handling of the game, which inspired a remarkable comeback against the group that, in his opinion, is "the big one". favorite "to win the Champions League.
"I think it was important to revive the team," he said. "When you conceded the goal, the team had a period of, from a psychological point of view, we fell a little bit and Juventus was finally in control and was ultimately dangerous in the counterattack.
"Fellaini gave us the opportunity to relive playing live by bringing the game to the bottom third and being in the bottom third, we gave the opportunity to create situations similar to those we have known. We start winning the first bullets in the air.
"Massimiliano had to react, had to bring (Andrea) Barzagli and when he brings Barzagli, (Juan) Cuadrado goes out and their counterattack is less dangerous as they try to control.
"Then we create, we create a shot of Rashford that I thought was a goal. The Mata free kick was great and that side free kick I do not know who scored, but all I know is that we put the ball in the ball. net."
Mourinho agreed that United had the chance to take the three points – but he still had to evaluate another extremely encouraging demonstration of the additional evidence that he was turning fortune on his side.
"Probably when Manchester United was heroic here (in the past), Manchester United was the best team," he said. "They (Juve) have been a top team for many years.
"They bought this player (Ronaldo), they want to win everything, they can win everything and we are a team where many players have not played in big games like this in the Champions League.
"So it's a difficult situation, but it's a fantastic win for us, a win that's not just about the points we lost at home, but the feeling that we played well.
"And I think that even if this match does not end with a win, I would have the same feeling that the team really played very well from the first minute against – I repeat – a great team. "
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