Man United's Matheus Cunha makes Champions League history in rollercoaster Roma game
Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha achieved a first in the Champions League following his heroics in the comeback against AS Roma. Cunha saves United Cunha was the hero of the day as United recovered from a two-goal deficit to stun Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.
United found themselves staring down the barrel of another disastrous defeat as Roma scored twice inside 17 minutes. Matías Soulé and Donyell Malen both took advantage of some pitiful defending to give Roma a commanding lead.
However, United pulled one back at the hour mark through Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese playmaker converted from the penalty spot, having missed his initial attempt but being afforded a second bite of the cherry owing to an encroachment offence.
Buoyed by the home fans, United pushed and finally drew level in the 83rd minute when Cunha pounced on a Leonardo Balerdi missed clearance to score. Three minutes later, Cunha smashed home the winner, completing one of the great European comebacks.
In comments to reporters after the final whistle, Cunha stated that experiencing such a thrill at United was a dream. Diogo Dalot also expressed hope that the comeback would mark a turning point for himself and his teammates as they look to kick on for the season.
Matheus Cunha Stat Premier League UEFA Champions League League Cup All competitions Competition Premier League UEFA Champions League League Cup All competitions Apps 9 4 1 14 Minutes 616 235 10 861 Starts 7 3 0 10 Sub appearances 2 1 1 4 Goals 1 3 0 4 Non-penalty goals 1 3 0 4 Assists 2 0 0 2 Goals + assists 3 3 0 6 Minutes per goal 616 78 - 215 xG (PL) 1.36 - - 1.36 xA (PL) 1.06 - - 1.06 xG + xA (PL) 2.42 - - 2.42 Avg rating 6.54 7.36 6.52 6.77 Shots 13 10 0 23 Shots on target 6 7 0 13 Shot accuracy % 46.2% 70.0% - 56.5% Conversion % 7.7% 30.0% - 17.4% Passes 228 104 6 338 Accurate passes 191 81 6 278 Page 1 of 3 123 Stat Premier League UEFA Champions League League Cup All competitions Pass accuracy % 83.8% 77.9% 100.0% 82.2% Key passes 11 3 1 15 Dribbles attempted 13 9 2 24 Dribbles completed 5 5 2 12 Dribble success % 38.5% 55.6% 100.0% 50.0% Tackles 12 6 0 18 Interceptions 3 0 0 3 Tackles + interceptions 15 6 0 21 Blocks 2 2 0 4 Duels 76 35 2 113 Duels won 32 18 2 52 Duels won % 42.1% 51.4% 100.0% 46.0% Dribbled past 4 0 0 4 Fouls won 13 6 0 19 Fouls committed 10 8 0 18 Offsides 1 0 0 1 Yellow cards 0 0 0 0 Red cards 0 1 0 1 Penalties won 1 0 0 1 Penalties conceded 0 0 0 0 Page 2 of 3123 Stat Premier League UEFA Champions League League Cup All competitions Penalties scored 0 0 0 0 Penalties missed 0 0 0 0 Clean sheets 0 1 0 1 Page 3 of 3 123 Cunha makes history According to statisticians OptaJoe, Cunha's rollercoaster game against Roma was a very unique one. The Brazilian became the first player in UEFA Champions League history to win a penalty, score a goal, and be sent off in the same match.
1 - Last night, Matheus Cunha became the first player in UEFA Champions League history to win a penalty, score a goal and be sent off in the same match. No further punishment will be forthcoming for his remaining on the pitch after the final whistle despite his dismissal, it has since emerged.
Brazilian player to play for United.