Portugal superstar produced yet another unforgettable moment of magic with a breathtaking volley only for United to walk away with all three points
IT felt like the Nou Camp in 1999 all over again.
Outplayed and outclassed by the opposition, Manchester United scored twice in the final four minutes to beat Juventus inside their own fortress.
It took us back to Clive Tyldesley’s famous commentary in 1999, when he dared United to beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
“Can Manchester United score?" he famously asked. "They always score.”
That is precisely what they did here, recovering from Cristiano Ronaldo’s peachy 65th minute strike to secure this momentous win.
Juventus, beaten for the first time this season, will wonder how this happened for weeks.
Juan Mata got the equaliser, lifting United’s spirits when he came off the bench to send the sweetest free-kick beyond Wojciech Szczesny after 86 minutes.
Like the Manchester United team of yesteryear, they did not stop there.
They got the winner when Leonardo Bonucci touched on Marouane Fellaini’s header in the final minute.
It raucous scenes on the touchline, with Jose Mourinho and his backroom stuff celebrating this extraordinary finish.
He is made – and paid – for nights like this.These are the games Mourinho is supposed to lives for.
He made his name on nights like this, putting together a gameplan to shut out the giants of the game.
Incredibly, he pulled it off, just like the old days.
He did it with Porto and Inter, plotting the route to the final with unfancied teams before going on to lift the biggest club trophy on the continent.
This was a classic set-up from the Special One - super-tight at the back and trying to pinch one on the break.
They were made to work damn hard for this because they fell behind when Ronnie scored a belter.
The celebration is always the same.
Shirt hoisted up, six-pack on show, that winning smile for his fan club up in the posh seats.
This was Ronaldo at his ruthless, punishing best.
He made no allowances against his former club when he scored for Juventus with the sweetest of finishes 65 minutes in.
Ronnie paid his dues to Manchester United a long time ago.
You will never tire of it, starting with the drilled lob wedge off the boot of Bonucci from just inside United’s half.
Then the eyes had it, with Ronnie tracking his pass, over the shoulder, losing Victor Lindelof (not difficult) and then sending the winner effortless beyond David de Gea.
It is the sort of goal that will have a gazillion YouTube hits before the day is out.
Ronnie’s strike– finished, apparently, when he left Real Madrid – is not quite in the same class as his overhead kick in this stadium against Juve last season.
Even so, it is not a million miles away.
Juve, on this enviable hot streak under their progressive head coach Massimiliano Allegri, had all the big chances of the first half.
Miralem Pjanic played the ball of the night, a lofted chip into Ronnie that eventually made its way to Rodrigo Bentancur.
The young Uruguayan, who showed so much promise in Juve’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford, saw his effort deflected.
Juan Cuadrado, bombed by Mourinho when he was Chelsea manager was next in the queue just past the half hour.
His drilled effort from the right deflected off the boot of Nemanja Matic, but De Gea got a palm to it before it was hoofed clear.
Juve had the scent of victory, giving United’s defence a thorough examination in the final few minutes of that first half.
Matic had already been booked, losing his discipline when he clumped Juve’s dangerman Paulo Dybala 11 minutes in.
It was Matic’s influence, with his 28th minute chip into the dangerzone, that led to United’s only passable chance of the first half.
Alexis could not get his studs on the pass, just failing to get something on to the ball to deflect it beyond Wojciech Szczesny. Juve responded.
Sami Khedira hit the base of the post, getting his angles wrong when Ronaldo sent an angled pass invitingly into his path 10 minutes before the break.
They have a powerful set up, with pedigree all over the pitch as they target another Champions League final under Allegri.
Dybala is one of them, drawing fans and players towards him whenever he is shimmering on the ball.
The turn at the start of the second half, making room for himself on the edge of United’s box before clipping de Gea’s crossbar was dreamy.
De Gea was a bystander, watching his curling left footed effort spin beyond him before skimming the woodwork.
They got there in the end, with Ronaldo scoring an absolute peach 25 minutes from time against his former club.
They really thought they had this won, but Mata’s sublime free-kick and Bonucci’s rare error allowed United to nick it in the final few seconds.
With that kind of luck, it was like watching that famous Nou Camp night unfold all over again.
