Cristiano Ronaldo knocked out a steward with a wayward practice shot before Manchester United’s Champions League defeat to Swiss side Young Boys on Tuesday evening.
The stray strike from the 36-year-old came as United players warmed up ahead of their opening group stage match in Bern.
The ball hit a steward on the sidelines and the impact caused her to fall to the ground, with Ronaldo among those to check up on her to make sure she was alright.
It ended up being a happier ending to the night for the steward than Ronaldo – she was gifted the footballer’s famous number seven shirt, while United went down to a shock 2-1 loss.
United were beaten despite Ronaldo scoring the opening goal after just 13 minutes.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sent off in the first half, and Young Boys scored a late winner to take the three points.
The game saw Ronaldo move level with former Real Madrid team-mate Iker Casillas for the most Champions League appearances in history, with 177 games in the top European competition, almost two weeks after he became the highest scoring men’s international.
Solskjaer’s tactical decisions under scrutiny
Manchester United have brought a legend home, signed one of the game’s greatest defenders and added one of the brightest prospects in European football. But at the highest level matches can still be lost from the bench and this was one of them.
It was Jesse Lingard’s rash back-pass that allowed Young Boys to complete a dramatic 2-1 win on this Champions League opener. It was Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s lunge that left his team down to 10 men, changing the course of the evening.
But it was Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer whose tactical decisions ensured that the Swiss side deserved the points.
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