3 things Ronaldo got right and 3 mistakes he made as he breaks Man Utd drought

The Zimbru Stadium was graced with the sight of the iconic 'Siu' as Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated getting off the mark for the season in a routine Manchester United victory.

The superstar striker, 37, scored the Red Devils' second goal as they defeated Sheriff Tiraspol 2-0 to pick up their first points of the Europa League campaign. Ronaldo, who had been frustrated up to that point, stepped up in the 39th minute after Diogo Dalot was bundled over in the area to smash a penalty down the middle before wheeling away to the corner flag to celebrate in typical fashion.

It was far from a perfect evening for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in Moldova, as he appeared short of sharpness and his usual world-leading physicality evaded him. That being said, Ronaldo will be relieved to have broken what was a long drought by his standards, meaning he can carry some momentum into the international break with Portugal and the hectic autumn schedule with United.

Here, Mirror Football takes a look at where Ronaldo impressed against Sheriff - and where there was room for improvement.

The good

Beyond Ronaldo's confident penalty, when he rifled down the middle to score his 699th goal at club level, there was plenty of endeavour from the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward.

He has been accused of failing to pull his weight at the tip of the attack in the past, but here in Moldova, he ran about as much as expected to put Sheriff defenders under pressure. And while Ronaldo's pace is not what it once was - as shown by his failure to get on the end of Scott McTominay's through-ball early in the first half - the expert timing of his runs off defenders' shoulders means United can still fashion chances for him.

One of these came shortly after the half-hour mark, when Antony clipped the ball over the Sheriff defence to find Ronaldo, who should have done better when firing high and wide of the target. The Sporting Lisbon academy graduate appears to have struck up a fine relationship with those behind him in midfield.

Ronaldo released Bruno Fernandes with a deft, outside-of-the-foot through ball as United looked to put the game to bed at the end of the first half, but his fellow Portuguese was unable to get control of the ball while under pressure from Sheriff goalkeeper Maksym Koval.

On the other side of the interval, his clever flick found Fernandes as he dropped deeper into the space between the hosts' defence and midfield. A special mention must also go to Christian Eriksen, who pulled the strings from his deep midfield role - providing the assist for Jadon Sancho's opener - and almost found Ronaldo at the back post with a cross midway through the second half and a did locate him with a great diagonal ball in the 74th minute.

Ronaldo's positives against Sheriff: Well-taken penalty, movement off the shoulder, link-up with attacking midfielders.

How many goals will Cristiano Ronaldo score this season? Have your say in the comments!

The bad

For all of his intent to press the Sheriff defence, Ronaldo still appears to be lacking in match sharpness compared to the majority of his teammates. Having missed pre-season and given he has only made one start in the Premier League, this does not come as a great surprise.

Ronaldo being slightly off the pace was evidenced in the ninth minute, when he was penalised for a stamp on the ankle of Cedric Badolo. He had some fine duels with Sheriff defender Gaby Kiki and appealed for a penalty after there was contact with the Cameroonian in the area in the 15th minute.

This was the first moment when Ronaldo's frustrations were on show - and they only worsened, as he could not hide his anger at his own misplaced back-heel later in the first half. Ronaldo's goal served as a tonic, putting a smile back on his face momentarily, but there is no denying his finishing was not as potent as usual.

As well as lashing high and wide from Antony's through-ball in the first half, his first-time, side-footed effort from the edge of the area in the 69th minute was wayward. His passing was also sub-par on occasion, too, and Sheriff were able to fashion a shot on David de Gea's goal after he failed to find Luke Shaw while operating in his own half in the 75th minute.

Notably, Ronaldo did not get back to help the United defence after giving the ball away, so it was no surprise when Ten Hag brought his mixed evening to an end by substituting him for Anthony Elanga shortly after.

Ronaldo's cons against Sheriff: Finishing, sharpness while pressing, attitude without the ball.

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