At the end Jose Mourinho strode on to the pitch, cupping his right ear, curling his lip, his long dark coat flapping and showed his disdain for his treatment from the Juventus supporters. If he felt insulted then they felt injured. This was a smash and grab. Another Italian job in Turin and, for once, that old cliché really was justified. Manchester United blew the bleedin’ doors off Juventus’s formidable defence. Behind to a wonder goal by Cristiano Ronaldo – who else? – with just four minutes to go United struck twice from free-kicks to win this tie, to defeat what Mourinho had described as a “super-favourite” to win the Champions League and, dare it be said, summon the “spirit of Turin”; the spirit of 1999; the spirit that has characterised their European dreams. In fact it was the first time United had scored two goals in the final five minutes of a Champions League game … since the final in Barcelona 19 years ago.
This may have only been a group game and not a semi-final as it was then when United came from two goals down to beat Juventus to reach, and win, that final but if that was regarded as Sir Alex Ferguson’s defining match in this completion then this was Mourinho’s finest result as the club’s manager. Shame he made it all about him – yet again – at the end. If he was riled by Juve then they were riled by him with Leonardo Bonucci, who was involved in the decisive own goal, protesting at his behaviour as did Paulo Dybala and Rodrigo Bentancur before first United captain Ashley Young intervened and then a Uefa official led Mourinho away. Even in a moment of glorious triumph, after making shrewd substitutions, Mourinho just seems so on edge that it is allowed to almost overshadow everything.
If comebacks have characterised United of late this one was on a different scale from beating Newcastle United or Bournemouth although it must be said that Juventus, having already struck the goal frame twice, missed three easy chances after they scored to kill this contest. The unlikely result means that United went from having to probably go to Valencia for their final group game in need of a result to now being able to secure qualification for the last 16 if they beat Young Boys at Old Trafford.
Despite Juventus’s chances this was a very different encounter from the meeting two weeks ago when the Italian champions were utterly dominant and United did not have an answer. Here they were more resilient, and set themselves up well also for the Manchester derby this Sunday.
