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CRISTIANO RONALDO’S love affair with the Champions League continued as he broke yet another European record - before scoring a dramatic late winner.

The Portuguese superstar made his 178th appearance in the competition as Ronaldo fired Manchester United to a stunning comeback win at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning late winner on his record-breaking 178th appearance in the Champions League
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Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning late winner on his record-breaking 178th appearance in the Champions League

The appearance puts him one ahead of former Real Madrid team-mate Iker Casillas in the all-time list.

But it will be his late winner that will be remembered most from this tie.

After Paco Alcacer had given Villarreal a deserved lead, Alex Telles equalised with a brilliant volley.

United pushed for a winner but looked like they would have to settle for a point.

That's when Ronaldo stepped up.

After a cross came in, he nodded down to Jesse Lingard, who put the ball back into Ronaldo's path.

The Portuguese then fired in from a narrow angle in the 95th minute to send United home with all three points.

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Already the record scorer in the competition, it was Ronaldo's 136th goal in the Champions League.

Long-time rival Lionel Messi lags behind Ronaldo and Casillas in third with 27 fewer appearances than the new record holder.

Ronaldo holds a host of Champions League records to go with his haul of five European trophies.

The 36-year-old now has the most goals overall (136), the most goals in a season (17), and the most goals in the kock-out stages (67).

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