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Posted by PaulJ on 2013-03-09 @ 22:19:32 +0000

Most ignobly done

The great day dawns harbinger of spring; the crocuses and snowdrops abloom in the sunshine. All up the motorway the cars and buses convey pilgrims from every corner of the realm. The expectant faithful down the Warwick Road and on the canal bridges converge upon the great temple of glass and light. Dull would he be of soul who stayed unmoved by a sight so touching in its majesty as this huge floodlit stadium awash with emotion and song for a match with the nine times Champions of Europe. Everything is respectful and celebratory; the red, white and black flags we dutifully wave, the huge banner to the Busby Babes whose sad story is so interwoven with that of our guests. It feels as if we are witnessing a new chapter of sporting history. Even the silent majority need little encouragement to lend voice tonight, unhindered by any disc jockey. He played “This is the One” for matches against Crawley and Reading; this night excess is impossible even in the Theatre of Hyperbole.

We already know the team news; Wayne Rooney is dropped and Ryan Giggs will start his one thousandth first class match. Though it appear a little out of fashion there is much care and valour in this Welshman; nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility. The names of the visitors are met with good natured booing which merely highlights the reception for Cristiano Ronaldo. Our nemesis is on his haunches clearly impressed with the standing ovation which lasts well beyond the kick off; surely the slick haired one is not showing human emotion? The name which no-one heeds is the most important, that of referee Cüneyt Çakir, the Turk who is about to wreck the night.

Ferguson’s selection and tactics prove spot-on. We allow them midfield possession and counter-attack, thus denying this opportunity to the best team in the world at it. Rafael da Silva is seen by Real as a weakness but he is to have the game of his life and the selection of Giggs on the wing has much to do with the need to give him a hand with Ronaldo. At first Giggs feels obliged to foul Fábio Coentrão because Rafael has been drawn to follow the danger but within twenty minutes Ronaldo is forced to wander for his feed and therein lies equal danger; he is mad who trusts that a wolf can be tamed.

It takes us ten minutes to warm up and lose our viscosity and when we become fluid it is through Danny Welbeck’s incisive running. From his first lightning break Nani slings in a cross which Coentrão steals from van Persie’s head. His next is on the right, releasing Giggs for a wonderful pinpoint cross but van Persie’s volley lacks venom and Sergio Ramos turns it behind. Raphaël Varane deflects the next one, Welbeck combining with Nani again. Giggs’s doggedness forces a corner and from it Nemanja Vidi? rises from the penalty spot for a glorious header which thumps against the post, rebounds off Welbeck in the middle of the goal and lodges between the legs of the grounded ‘keeper Diego López. All can be undone in an instant; David de Gea blocks a narrow angle effort from Gonzalo Higuaín and from that corner Mesut Özil lobs it for Ramos to head down and we are momentarily somnambulent and lucky that Çakir disallows Higuaín’s poke for a perceived Ramos elbow; no Triad spread-betting money on a first half Madrid goal, then; that is a relief.

The second half was a couple of minutes old when Giggs robbed Ronaldo and set Rafael off on a glorious run, releasing Welbeck. Van Persie’s shot was blocked and the ball came out to Nani on the left who delivered a difficult cross, low along the six yard line. Welbeck got a toe to it and to a roar the like of which has not been heard since Bayern visited Stretford, Sergio Ramos turned the ball into his own net. Foolishly we did not care how the gods had chosen to favour us for no-one could argue that it was undeserved; we really were in a Theatre of Dreams; 48 minutes 1-0.

Our team’s reaction to the goal was to retreat dangerously. Ronaldo, and Kaká who had come on for Ángel di María, worked their way through but Rio was in their way, Vidi? cleared the corner kick; Higuaín gave warning with a shot across the face of goal which Ronaldo was not far from converting. To acclaim from the Stretford End, Wayne Rooney was warming up; we needed to gather momentum again and who better?

We had forgotten that to the gods we are as flies to wanton boys; they kill us for their sport. As we broke Nani flew through the air to collect the pass and collided with Álvaro Arbeloa. It was an innocent challenge of which the Spaniard who played for Liverpool made a huge meal, clutching his heart when the boot had brushed his armpit, and we were angered to see the referee reaching for a card and utterly incredulous when is was red.

We have had players harshly dismissed before, penalties refused, good goals disallowed, even referees who turned out to be on the make; it is what happens under UEFA jurisdiction and potential European Champions have to rise above it better than we now did. Ferguson ran around the technical area as mad as the vexed sea, touched with noble anger and barging his staff out of the way. The dismay of our players was palpable. Rafael single handedly resisted Ronaldo and then Kaká. Two huge, brave headers from Vidi? and Rafael fought like a demon on the line to hold out against Higuaín, the ball probably hitting his arm but it was evident that we could not continue to hold out like this for more than thirty minutes. At this, the moment which defined our season’s loftiest ambitions, we needed leadership and inspiration but we, the crowd, were busy spitting vitriol and our bench merely seethed while theirs, in contrast, acted, bringing on Luka Modri? to exploit the space.

Van Persie put in a shot from too far out to beat López as briefly it seemed we might recover our authority but Modri? stationed himself outside our box spraying the ball about. He put in a cross which was all but turned in and when Carrick afforded him only a tiny amount of space he shot an absolute beauty from twenty yards, curling it around Evra with such venom that de Gea had no chance as it went in off the post; 66 minutes 1-1.

Hardly had we had time to take our heads out of our hands when our team was retreating again, Real were working it through the area and Higuaín was through. He shot low for the far post and there was Ronaldo (who else?) to turn it into the net from an acute angle. In the space of three minutes the European Cup was lost to us; 69 minutes 1-2.

On came Rooney; for twenty five minutes our ten men were the better side but it was too late. In between the time wasting the visitors had two or three chances to kill us off as we were forced to commit increasingly to attack. The block on Ronaldo’s shot was the best of de Gea’s saves, though one got an inkling that deep down Ronaldo lacked the heart to rub our noses in it. Kaká hit the near post with a deflected shot.

How we tried! Rooney gave lots of honest, purposeful running, gave the ball away a couple of times, missed the one glorious chance that fell to him by hooking a rebound over the bar from four yards. Stand-in goalkeeper López chose this night to be his best, reacting instantly to Carrick’s flicked header and then to Vidi?’s powerful one and saving bravely at van Persie’s feet. Ramos and Varane each made vital interceptions and when Evra got into the area, Ramos dragged him down from behind for what should have been a penalty.

It had been an heroic effort, blighted by ten minutes of weakness in the face of injustice. It had been brilliant theatre, the referee the only man on the field to have an off day; nothing important, just a goal, a sending-off, a penalty. Surely there was nothing as sinister as malversation; Çakir was just not coping, a man with a fork in a world of soup. At least relations between two of Europe’s grandest old clubs were not soured by a ruined occasion. Ferguson wisely declined to appear before the Press and it turned out that the Prince of Darkness is a gentleman, José Mourinho saying that the best team lost.

It will be essential to manage the fallout. The Press is concocting a story that Rooney is on his way out of our club, though Ferguson has dropped him before for a match at this level, also against Mourinho when he was at Inter Milan. We need more than just a strong reaction against Chelsea in the FA Cup next weekend; our players must concentrate on ensuring that their disappointment does not derail our title campaign.

Paul Andrew James

Posted by Bill on 2013-03-05 @ 23:12:48 +0000

Man Utd 1
Ramos 48? (og)
Real Madrid 2
Modric 66? Ronaldo 69?
FT 90 +6
HT 0-0
(agg 2 - 3)

Manchester United's Champions League ambitions ended in controversial circumstances that left manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his players enraged at Old Trafford.

United looked on course for a place in the quarter-finals at Real Madrid's expense after Sergio Ramos's own goal just after half-time gave them a platform to build on the 1-1 draw from the first leg at the Bernabeu.

The tie was transformed by Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir's decision to send off Nani for an aerial challenge on Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa after 56 minutes - a red card that reduced Ferguson and his players to fury.

Jose Mourinho's side, a subdued force until then, took advantage ruthlessly with two goals in three minutes from ex-Tottenham midfield man Luka Modric and former United golden boy Cristiano Ronaldo to move into the last eight.

Real wreck United's run
The defeat was Manchester United first in a Champions League knockout game at Old Trafford since February 2005 - a 1-0 defeat to AC Milan
Thanks to their win, Real Madrid are the only visiting team to have won more than once at Old Trafford in the Champions League

United responded superbly with a typical late rally that brought a series of fine saves from Real keeper Diego Lopez, but events midway through a dramatic second half settled the destiny of an enthralling game.

Ferguson's body language after Nani's dismissal screamed anger and injustice and he had good reason to feel United could well have been taking their place in the latter stages until the referee's intervention.

Mourinho now moves on towards his target of a third Champions League with three different clubs while United must concentrate on domestic matters as they close in on a 20th title with a commanding 12-point lead in the Premier League and a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Ferguson's decision to drop Wayne Rooney was another of the bold selection decisions the Scot is adept at taking - he also gave Ryan Giggs his 1,000th professional appearance - and he was rewarded with a first half display that mixed strict defensive discipline with attacking threat on the break.

Ronaldo received a rapturous reception that echoed around Old Trafford, responding with a wave and a tap of the hand on his heart in return.

Real's superstar was kept at arm's length in the first half, wasting a free-kick then being frustrated by a fine challenge from United captain Nemanja Vidic when he finally found space in the area.

And Vidic came closest to breaking the deadlock in an engrossing contest when his header hit the post from a Giggs corner, with Danny Welbeck being ruled offside as he attempted to turn in the rebound.

Welbeck's energy and movement was a feature of United's play but he was unable to turn in an inviting rebound when Lopez failed to hold Robin van Persie's initial effort.

Ronaldo scores again
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored eight goals in eight Champions League games this season, and 18 in his last 18

Real suffered a blow towards the end of the first half when the dangerous Angel di Maria pulled up holding his hamstring and was replaced by Brazilian Kaka.

United did make the breakthrough three minutes after half-time when Nani won the ball back from Raphael Varane as he failed to clear in the area and his cross took the faintest touch off Welbeck before Ramos deflected the ball past Lopez.

It was reward for United's efforts - but events were to suddenly conspire against them and take this tie beyond their control after 56 minutes.

Nani went into a high challenge with Arbeloa but his eyes were on the ball throughout and United were stunned when referee Cakir waited for the Portuguese to get back on his feet before producing the red card.

Ferguson raced into his technical area to protest while United's players surrounded the official to no avail - United's manager then turning to all parts of Old Trafford and raising his arms and clenching his fists to plead for even louder support.

It came but the sense that the game had taken a crucial turn against United was underscored as Real struck to make the most of their numerical advantage with two quick goals.

Mourinho's reaction to the red card was to replace Arbeloa with Modric, who took the opportunity to put his struggles at the Bernabeu behind him at the worst possible time for United with a fine equaliser after 66 minutes.
He showed a fine change of pace on the edge of the area before swerving a 20-yard shot past United keeper David de Gea and into the net via the post.

And, inevitably, Ronaldo made his impact with Real's second three minutes later, turning in Gonzalo Higuain's cross from a tight angle at the far post. His celebrations were muted but the travelling Real supporters packed into a corner of Old Trafford were ecstatic.

Rooney was introduced for Tom Cleverley as United showed the spirit and fight that is their trademark as they tackled an impossible task.

Lopez saved crucially from Michael Carrick and Van Persie while Rooney shot over and into the Stretford End from 10 yards.

The keeper also saved acrobatically from another Vidic header although Real remained dangerous on the break with Kaka hitting the post and Ronaldo bringing saves from De Gea.

A night of frustration was summed up by jeers aimed at the referee at the final whistle, jeers that soon turned to applause for United's disappointed players.

LINEUP, BOOKINGS (6) & SUBSTITUTIONS (6)
Manchester United
01 De Gea
02 Rafael (Valencia - 87' )
03 Evra Booked
05 Ferdinand
15 Vidic
11 Giggs
16 Carrick Booked
17 Nani Dismissed
23 Cleverley (Rooney - 73' )
19 Welbeck (Young - 80' )
20 Van Persie
Substitutes
13 Lindegaard
06 Evans
07 Valencia
18 Young
26 Kagawa
10 Rooney
14 Hernandez
Real Madrid
41 Diego Lopez
02 Varane
04 Ramos
05 Coentrao
17 Arbeloa Booked (Modric - 59' )
06 Khedira
07 Ronaldo
10 Ozil (Pepe - 71' Booked )
14 Alonso
22 Di Maria (Kaka - 45' Booked )
20 Higuain
Substitutes
13 Adan
03 Pepe
18 Albiol
08 Kaka
19 Modric
09 Benzema
21 Callejon

Ref: Cakir
Att: 74,959

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