WATCH: Late Free Kicks Answer Ronaldo's Stunner, Give Man United Win vs. Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo thought he had the final say, but his former club didn't go down quietly.
Two free kicks in the final five minutes brought Man United from 1-0 down to 2-1 up, with the Red Devils impressively answering Juventus after Ronaldo's stunning opener in their second Champions League encounter in two weeks and securing a huge three points in Group H.
Ronaldo struck first, in the 65th minute of a scoreless game. The Portuguese star ran onto Leonardo Bonucci's perfect service over the top and whipped in a first-time volley of extreme difficulty to give Juve a 1-0 lead in Turin.
Juan Mata answered in the 86th minute with a beautiful curler, and Ashley Young's free kick caused all sorts of trouble on the goal line, with Marouane Fellaini's header taking a pair of deflections and ultimately going in off Alex Sandro after Wojciech Szczesny failed to properly deal with it.
Ronaldo, who didn't score on his return to Old Trafford, tried to force the issue in the 17th minute. Given the space to shoot from some 30 yards out on a right-sided angle, Ronaldo tried to fire one by David De Gea only to shoot wide of the post. It was De Gea who he beat for a memorable hat trick at the 2018 World Cup in Portugal's classic 3-3 draw vs. Spain.
Sami Khedira missed two opportunities to put Juventus in front, first having a blast saved by De Gea and then turning another chance from inside the box off the far post in the 35th minute.
The second came moments after Juan Cuadrado had forced a save from De Gea as well, with his deflected chance from the right side forcing the Spaniard's instincts to kick in.
The in-form Anthony Martial nearly broke through for Manchester United a few minutes into the second half, taking his chance to shoot from the left side of the box, curling a bouncing chance just beyond the far post.
That perhaps woke up Juventus, as Dybala rattled the crossbar moments later on the other end, the second time Juve hit the woodwork on the night.
Ronaldo provided the game-breaking moment his side was hoping for in the 65th minute. Running onto Bonucci's pass, Ronaldo flicked home a powerful volley with a single motion, making it look rather simple in giving Juve the 1-0 lead. He promptly celebrated by showing off his abs, in typical Ronaldo fashion.
The celebrations didn't last long, though, with United answering with authority through the two late set pieces.
Mourinho put his hand to his ear after the final whistle, egging on the fans in Turin and angering some Juventus players in the process, but the win vaults his team into second place in the group, just two points behind Juventus, when it appeared the the hosts were going to stay perfect and clinch first place.
Here were the lineups for both sides:
Both teams return to action in the Champions League on Tuesday, Nov. 27, with Juventus hosting Valencia and Manchester United hosting Young Boys.
