The 28-year-old, who spent six highly successful seasons at United, received a round of applause prior to kick-off and made a point of not celebrating his winning goal.

“The reception was unbelievable. It was an emotional moment for me, for both games, especially tonight,” he told Sky Sports.

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“I do not have words to explain how I feel. The supporters made me feel shy as I did not play how I play all the time.

“Anyway I helped my team, and I feel a little happy inside. On the other hand I feel sad as Manchester United are out,” he added.

The game’s turning point arrived in the 56th minute, when Ronaldo’s international colleague Nani was contentiously shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa.

“To be honest, I did not see what Nani did, but these situations happen in football,” Ronaldo said.