admin30 minutes following Danny Welbeck’s opener with a sensational header.
“What a header. Unbelievable. You can’t stop that,” Ferguson said of Ronaldo’s goal.
“The spring, the way he holds himself in the air, the power in the header. I said to Patrick Evra at half-time, ‘you didn’t challenge for that’. And when I saw the video I thought, ‘what was I talking about?’.”
Ronaldo was making his first appearance for Real Madrid since he left Old Trafford in 2009.
“I think it’s difficult for Cristiano playing against us, his old team,” added Ferguson. There’s a little bit of emotion attached to it for him because he had so many great years for us.
“But when he gets the ball you’re praying, more than anything. There were a lot of incidents in the game. We had lots of chances in the match and played some good attacking football at times but we did not get the possession we should have had.
“Real won possession without question, but it takes us back to Old Trafford with a great chance. It will be very open. I think we’ll score at Old Trafford. We have a big job on our hands but it is definitely within our grasp.”
Ferguson’s counterpart Jose Mourinho expects the last 16 tie to go down to the wire after Wednesday night’s draw.
“Nothing new. Not a surprising match, not a surprising result,” said Mourinho.
“I think basically (it was) what I was waiting for, which is everything very open for the second leg. As I was thinking, I think this will go to the last minute.”
Asked if the meeting had resembled a game of chess, the Portuguese replied: For them – not for us. They changed their way of play.
“They had the block very, very low in the second half. I think Rio (Ferdinand) and (Jonny) Evans – they didn’t put one foot in our own half. They were waiting for a set-piece or a counter-attack.
“They defended well and the result is open. If you ask me percentages, I don’t change one single number – 50/50.”
Mourinho remained upbeat about his side’s chances heading into the Old Trafford rematch on March 5.
Asked whether the draw handed the advantage to United, he replied: “No. We can score more than one goal there.”
He added: “They had two big chances in the second half, but chances out of context because we were chasing the game and they were just defending. This is the Champions League and there are two matches, home and away. They did their match and they did it well.”
United striker Robin van Persie, who might have had a hat-trick on another night after spurning some inviting openings, was cautious in his assessment of the result.
“We don’t really care; they don’t really care. It’s half-time and we will be ready for the second half.
“It was a good result away from home. People who have watched the game have seen chances for both sides. It was a great game to watch.”
Reflecting on his own chances, Van Persie admitted he was surprised to be leaving Madrid without a goal to his name.
“I had three (opportunities) in the second half, especially one where I hit the bar. It was a big chance and I should have put it in. With a bit of luck it could have gone in.
“Then in the dying seconds the keeper (Diego Lopez) made a great save. I was counting on that one going in.” – Mailonline.
Online Reporter