Cristiano Ronaldo gave a Young Boys steward his Manchester United shirt after knocking her over with a stray warm-up shot on Tuesday evening.
Ronaldo made his second Champions League debut for United at the Wankdorf Stadium after re-signing from Juventus in a £20 million ($28 million) deal during the summer transfer window.
The 36-year-old marked the occasion with a goal but was ultimately powerless to prevent the Red Devils from falling to a 2-1 defeat. He was also involved in an odd incident just before the game, in which a steward was knocked to the ground.
Ronaldo warmed up for the game by taking a few shots at goal, but one of them went horribly wrong, with the ball striking the steward in question with considerable force behind the touchline.
She was initially laid out flat on the floor and was examined by medical personnel and a number of fellow stewards before being helped to her feet, with Ronaldo also checking on her well-being.
Instead of exchanging shirts with a Young Boys player after the game, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner approached the steward and asked for the jersey as a special keepsake, and she expressed her gratitude by making a heart shape with her hands as the striker walked away from the pitch.
United appeared to be well on their way to victory when Ronaldo opened the scoring against Young Boys with a composed finish at the back post after latching onto a superb outside-of-the-foot pass from fellow Portuguese Bruno Fernandes with just 13 minutes on the clock.
However, the game was turned when Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sent off for a rash challenge shortly before halftime, and the hosts eventually levelled the score with a goal from Moumi Ngamaleu just after the hour mark.
After that, Young Boys piled on the pressure, and the Red Devils’ stubborn resistance was finally broken deep into stoppage time when Jesse Lingard’s loose back pass landed perfectly at Jordan Siebatcheu’s feet, and the US international slid the ball past David de Gea to give the Swiss outfit a memorable victory.
