Telles reveals words of wisdom behind Man Utd last-gasp glory
Alex Telles admits he stepped in to try and calm down Cristiano Ronaldo in the minutes leading up to his dramatic injury-time winner against Villarreal.
It looked as though the spoils would be shared on matchday two of the Champions League. Paco Alcacer had given the Spanish side a 53rd-minute lead before Telles equalised seven minutes later. But, five minutes into injury time, Ronaldo fired home from Jesse Lingard’s lay-off to send the home faithful delirious.
The result means Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side sit third in Group F, level on three points with Young Boys. Ronaldo has enjoyed a superb return to United.
The Portugal skipper has scored three Premier League goals from as many outings. And he was also on the score sheet as the Red Devils were beaten 2-1 by Young Boys.
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Telles said he could sense the frustration building up in the superstar as the minutes ticked by on Wednesday. And the Brazilian confessed he had a quiet word in the former Real Madrid star’s ear to keep him focussed.
“So, it was the first time I play with him,” he told TNT Sports, per The Express. “Off the pitch, we already have this closer relationship because we speak Portuguese.
“And five minutes before he was a little upset that we didn’t get any balls to him. I said ‘it will arrive, it will arrive, stay concentrated because it will arrive’. And as soon as I went off, Ronaldo doesn’t need much, right?
“We know his quality, we see it on a daily basis. So it only took one ball in the box and he gave us the victory. It’s a dream.”
Portuguese connection helps Telles bag stunner
Telles has not seen much action for United since arriving from Porto last October. The left-back made only eight top-flight starts and 24 appearances in all competitions.
He was primarily used in Europe and it has been a similar story this term. But he showed no ill effects of a lack of action when notching the equaliser at the Theatre of Dreams.
And it seems as though he was not the only player dishing out advice during the contest. The former Galatasaray defender revealed a brief conversation with Bruno Fernandes paved the way for the volley.
“He told me to go to the edge to the box and that he was going to put it up for me to shoot,” he added. “And everyone knows that I really like getting to that ball to shoot from outside. I’ve already scored some goals like that.
“So it’s about taking advantage of the quality, believe and be happy.”
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