Manchester United hero Matheus Cunha will avoid further punishment from UEFA after he failed to leave the pitch following his red card against Roma.

The Brazilian played hero for United on Tuesday, bagging a late brace to complete his side’s thrilling Champions League comeback. After falling down 2–0 inside the opening 18 minutes, the Red Devils scored three unanswered goals in the second half to claim a breathless 3–2 victory.

Cunha scored the winner in the 86th minute, igniting raucous celebrations at Old Trafford. The forward removed his shirt before jumping in the crowd, earning himself a yellow card. His evening soon turned even more dramatic when he picked up his second booking in stoppage time for a poor challenge on Roma defender Leonardo Balerdi.

Despite seeing red, Cunha did not follow the competition’s rules and head down the tunnel; instead, he sat on the advertising boards and watched the remaining minutes of the game. At the final whistle, he joined the fray on the pitch to celebrate with his team before Michael Carrick seemingly urged him in the direction of the dressing room.

Cunha’s actions could have warranted extra sanctions, but he escaped with just a one-game ban. “The UEFA official reports did not mention anything about this incident,” a UEFA spokesperson said.

“Therefore the automatic one-match ban following two yellow cards should not be extended for this reason. We are not investigating further this matter.”

The Game Cunha Will Miss for United

The good news for United is Cunha will not miss the team’s all-important clash with Aston Villa on Sunday. Since he was sent off in the Champions League, his ban is tied to the competition, not domestic play.

Cunha will also be available to feature against Liverpool once the Red Devils return to action following the November international break.

The one-game ban will come into effect for United’s clash with Sporting CP on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Cunha will not make the trip to Lisbon, where Carrick’s men will hope to secure their third Champions League win in their first five matches back in Europe’s premier club competition.

Had Cunha faced additional punishment for not leaving the pitch on Tuesday, he would have also missed the Red Devils’ match against RB Leipzig on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

Cunha Resurrects United’s Champions Hopes

After poor defeats to Atlético Madrid and Como, it looked like United’s Champions League return was destined to end prematurely. Not helping matters was the team’s wretched form across all competitions; the Red Devils came into Tuesday’s bout on a nine-game winless run.

But Cunha’s heroics finally stopped the rot and got United back to winning ways. Even more importantly, they boosted the club to 17th in the league phase standings, whereas another defeat would have doomed them to the bottom 12.

There’s still four matches to go in the league phase, but United will now at least feel hopeful of a mid-table finish that guarantees them a place in the knockout phase playoffs.

After the Red Devils face off with Sporting and Leipzig, they have a showdown with last season’s semifinals Bayern Munich before taking on a struggling Villarreal to close out the league phase.