Advantage Messi! Cristiano Ronaldo fails first test at Manchester United in epic UCL season

Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United suffered a shocking 2-1 loss away to Swiss minnows, Young Boys on Matchday 1 of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League season. The Red Devils kicked off their campaign on a dismal note after throwing away a 1-0 lead in the final half-hour of the match at the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's best efforts, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side still fell to an opening day defeat. 

It seemed to be a perfect night ahead when Cristiano Ronaldo raced on to an inch-perfect Bruno Fernandes pass to make it 1-0 just 13 minutes into the game. The Red Devils looked threatening and dominated possession till the 35th minute when marauding right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka got sent off for a reckless challenge. This forced Solskjaer into substituting United UCL debutant, Jadon Sancho, for Portuguese right-back Diogo Dalot. Effectively killing the attacking verve of the United side.  

The opening day loss means that Lionel Messi will get the chance to steal a march on his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo when he steps out for Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine Maestro will have at least 24 hours to plan how to guide his new side to victory in their Champions League opener. PSG travels to Belgium tomorrow Wednesday for a date with Club Brugge. Lionel Messi will be raring to go, having sat out Sunday's 4-0 demolition of Clermont in the Ligue 1. 

Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo has won the UEFA Champions League in the past 3 seasons. The last of the duo to win it was Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2017/18 season when he was triumphant with Real Madrid. The last time Lionel Messi was crowned European Champion was the treble-winning season of 2014/15 along with Neymar and Suarez.  Both players will be keen to win the prestigious trophy for their respective new clubs.