Middlesbrough centre-back Dael Fry has spoken about what it was like to come up against Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Championship side knocked out the Red Devils on penalties after Anthony Elanga’s decisive spot kick missed the target.
On the eve of his 37th birthday, Ronaldo uncharacteristically dragged a first half penalty wide of the post much to the shock of his teammates and the Old Trafford crowd.
In the build-up to the cup clash at the Theatre of Dreams, Fry had already spoken about the prospect of pitting his wits against the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
But after Chris Wilder’s side shocked Ralf Rangnick’s Reds, Fry gave an openly honest response when asked what it was like to face United’s legendary number seven.
He told BBC Radio Tees: “I didn’t say anything. I didn’t dare look at him [Cristiano Ronaldo] to be honest, but when I did I was like ‘he looks fake’, you know what I mean? He’s so beautiful in real life. I was like ‘wow’.
“Great game, enjoyed it, one I’ll cherish forever.
“It was fantastic, the emotions, I can’t really describe it. Even just seeing the team in the changing room seeing Ronaldo and all these big names, it was crazy. To play against him and manage to come up with the win even score a little penalty it’s fantastic.”
The Boro defender also spoke about the mind games he faced when coming up against Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the shootout.
The 24-year-old said: “I wasn’t nervous at all. The closer I got to the spot – the more confident I got.
“I actually know Dean Henderson because I’ve been with him at England at youth level and we use to take penalties after every training session and he knew where I went every time.
“I always went far left, far left, far left, and I scored 15 out of 15 and when I went up to the spot he obviously knows where I go and he obviously thought I was going to [change my mind] and go the other way, but I thought ‘no chance’ and went the far side.”
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