ANTHONY ELANGA was consoled by Cristiano Ronaldo after missing the decisive penalty in Manchester United’s shoot-out defeat to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.
The 19-year-old sent his spot kick over the bar to hand the Championship side an 8-7 victory on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes.
But Ronaldo was one of the first Man Utd players to run over to Elanga and give him the support he needed during a disappointing moment.
The Portuguese superstar missed a penalty himself during normal time, scuffing his effort wide after 20 minutes.
And he could be seen giving the teenager some words of advice as the United players trudged off down the tunnel.
Speaking after the match, United boss Ralf Rangnick said: “You could see that they [the players] supported him and everybody supported him.
“This has happened to more experienced players than him.
“It’s a big shame for him but also for the whole club, for the supporters, for the team, because we did well in the last couple of weeks.
“We trained well, we played well in the first half especially and we are, therefore, very disappointed at the moment.”
And Man Utd fans took the time to console Elanga as they offered him the support to move past the penalty miss.
One supporter said: “I’d hate to see how bad my penalty kick would be if I were under that type of pressure.
“Keep doing what you’re doing Anthony Elanga. I look forward to supporting you for many years to come. We win together and lose together.”
While another imagined what Ronaldo was saying to Elanga: “‘Look at me, I’m the greatest of all time and I’ve also missed a penalty today that meant we would have won the match.’
“Be brave and head up boy!”
Man Utd’s exit from the FA Cup leaves the Champions League as their last hope of winning silverware this season.
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS
Rangnick’s side have been drawn against Atletico Madrid in the last 16 – with the first leg set to take place in Spain on February 23.
Meanwhile in the Premier League, United travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley on Tuesday.
They currently sit fourth in the table, one point ahead of West Ham.
Read our Transfer News Live blog for the very latest rumours, gossip and done deals
