Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo would have wanted his team to win the FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough last night. However, a missed kick from the spot by Anthony Elanga became detrimental to his team's hopes of winning the FA Cup. After the match, Cristiano was spotted consoling a dejected Elanga who seemingly lacked the courage to raise his head in front of the Stretford End faithful.
The result of the FA cup tie against Middlesbrough isn't something that United fans had hoped for. Even though the Red Devils dominated the game, it was Boro who squeezed in a victory via penalties which finished 8-7.
What has really hurt United fans is that the game shouldn't have even reached extra time in the first place. This was because the Red Devils could have walked into the dressing after the first half with at least a three-goal lead against their opponents. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes had golden opportunities to bury the game. However, none of them could do the job and in the end, those misses became too costly for United.
It looked like the match was destined to go on penalties mid-way through extra time as both clubs were caught by fatigue. Middlesbrough and Manchester United had a combined 15 successful penalty takes and the pressure was off the roof when they reached 16th taker Anthony Elanga. In the end, Elanga missed from the penalty spot which cost the Red Devils a cup competition glory. After the 19-year-old hit the ball over the crossbar, many players came in and showed support to Elanga, who was seemingly devastated.
The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Fred and Ralf Rangnick were among those who gathered around to try to console the player from further emotional damage. Then came Cristiano Ronaldo, who offered the young striker some advice and consolling.
The duo were seen walking towards the exit of the Old Trafford stadium and fans who saw Cristiano's gesture were very happy with him for very much trying to consolidate Elanga, who definitely needed some kind words from the Greatest Player of All Time.
Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty miss was one of the turning point during the FA Cup tie
When Middlesbrough star Anfernee Dijksteel fouled Manchester United star Paul Pogba inside the box, many expected United to take the lead from the penalty. With Cristiano Ronaldo stepping up to take the penalty, the majority of fans were already celebrating a 1-0 lead. However, the Portuguese talisman missed a penalty from the spot as he dragged it out to the left side of the post.
This was a huge turning point in the game as many Boro players started believing that they could win the match as luck was certainly on their side. The former Real Madrid star was determined to secure a win for his team as he even churned out some amazing chances for his teammates. However, none of them were good enough to break the deadlock and now Manchester United are officially out of the FA Cup.