Amid allegations of sexual assault, Ronaldo tries to enjoy return to Old Trafford

Cristiano Ronaldo made another winning return to Old Trafford as Juventus beat his former club Manchester United 1-0 on Tuesday for a third straight victory in the Champions League.

Unlike the last time he was at the stadium — for Real Madrid in 2013 — Ronaldo didn't score but he was involved in the only goal, sending in a cross from the right wing that was eventually swept home by Paulo Dybala in the 17th minute.

Dangerous going forward and typically obdurate at the back, Juventus delivered a powerful performance that kept the team unbeaten this season and strengthened its status as one of the serious contenders for the Champions League — a competition it hasn't won since 1996.

With Ronaldo leading its attack, this might be its best chance in years to end the drought. Juventus has a maximum nine points in Group H after previous wins against Valencia and Young Boys, and is already five points ahead of second-place United.

Ronaldo was introduced as the "magnificent seven" when he came to Old Trafford with Madrid for a last-16 match in 2013. He was given a standing ovation by United fans that night and ended up scoring the winning goal to eliminate his former club from the Champions League.

Tuesday Results:

Group E

• AEK Athens 0, Bayern Munich 2 
• Ajax Amsterdam 1, Benfica 0 

Group F

• Hoffenheim 3, Lyon 3
• Shaktar Donetsk 0, Manchester City 3 

Group G

• Real Madrid 2, Viktoria Plzen 1 
• Roma 3, CSKA Moscow 0 

Group H

• Young Boys Bern 1, Valencia 1 
• Manchester United 0, Juventus 1

Five years later, Ronaldo, who has been accused of sexual assault in the United States, wasn't given the big build-up by the stadium announcer as the team lineup was read out but his name was cheered loudly by home supporters. And a few minutes into the game, a fan came onto the playing surface from the Stretford End stand and got to within a few metres of Ronaldo at the other end of the field before being stopped by slow-reacting security.

As he lay on the ground, he stretched his arms toward Ronaldo, almost pleadingly.

Then, soon after the final whistle was blown, two fans also got onto the field in an attempt to reach Ronaldo as he walked toward the tunnel. They were also stopped by security but Ronaldo ended up taking a selfie with them.

Ronaldo was always going to be the focal point of this game but the attention grew even more after Kathryn Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit last month in Nevada claiming the Portuguese star sexually assaulted her in his Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. Police also reopened an investigation into the allegation at her request. Ronaldo's attorney, Peter S. Christiansen, issued a statement on Oct. 10 denying wrongdoing by his client.

Traffic problems for Mourinho, Man U

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho chose to walk to Old Trafford for the Champions League match against Juventus as traffic problems struck England's biggest club once again.

United's team bus arrived just 50 minutes before kickoff because of heavy traffic around the ground. Embarrassingly for United, the same thing happened for its last Champions League home game — against Valencia three weeks ago — and kickoff needed to be delayed.

Mourinho wasn't on the bus. He had decided to walk the half-mile journey to the stadium from the hotel instead, and arrived about 30 minutes before his players.

"I walked in a hoodie, in the middle of the fans, no one recognized me," said Mourinho, who was escorted by security as he walked.