Manchester United vs. Sheriff match On Thursday, Manchester United will face Sheriff Tiraspol with the goal of finishing in the top two of their UEFA Europa League group.
The Red Devils lost to the Spaniards 2-0 the first time they played them, thus they cannot miss this chance to potentially cut the gap by playing a side they have already defeated.
How to watch and odds
Date: Thursday, Oct. 27 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Old Trafford — Manchester, England
Live stream: Paramount+
Odds: Manchester United -1500; Draw +850; Sheriff +3000 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
On Thursday night at Old Trafford, Manchester United defeated Sheriff Tiraspol 3-0 thanks to a goal by Cristiano Ronaldo on his comeback to the field.
Diogo Dalot’s first-half goal and goals from Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half gave Erik ten Hag’s team an easy victory, securing their place in the round of 16, but leaving them with a potentially difficult path to the Europa League last-16.
The hosts pounded the Moldovan defense’s goal, with Ronaldo coming the closest just before the half with a weighted header back across the goalmouth that was miraculously saved.
Just before halftime, Dalot scored a goal that was well-deserved after towering over the Sheriff defence and sending a bullet header past Maksym Koval, He turned away five of United’s 13 efforts on goal in the opening period.
Harry Maguire, a defender who had missed the previous eight games with a hamstring injury, entered the game in the second half.
Ronaldo received roars of encouragement from the Old Trafford supporters early in the second half despite missing Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea due to disciplinary reasons. Ronaldo had a wide-open effort from the top of the box that was way over the goal.
Soon after, the Man United No. 7 had the ball in the goal, but the linesman raised the flag for offside, prompting Ronaldo to respond angrily by kicking the ball into the stands.
To the pleasure of Ten Hag on the sidelines, a beautiful pass from Luke Shaw and an even better header from Marcus Rashford handed United their second, extending the advantage and virtually ending the game with an outclassed Sheriff.
In the end, Ronaldo managed to score, slamming the rebound of his own header’s save into the goal and then joyfully waving to the crowd.
With Real Sociedad winning Group E, United, who is currently in second place, would likely need to defeat one of the third-place Champions League teams, which already includes European powerhouses Juventus, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid, in order to advance to the round of 16.