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Posted by PaulJ on 2009-04-12 @ 1:07:24 -0600

A Simple Twist of Fate

Disappointed as I am that in order to stay in this competition we have to become the first British team ever to win at the Estádio do Dragão, I was also a fortunate man to be among those to witness on Tuesday night in the park as the evening sky grew dark a match which did Gabriel Hanot’s vision proud; which would have graced the cavalier European Cup of the fifties.

United seem to be struggling. It might be the weight of expectation as the media talks up the dream of a clean sweep of trophies the more happily to indulge in the frenzy of manufactured shock when comparative failure inevitably comes to pass. It might be that the players had begun to believe their publicity and are unable to recover their inner composure and confidence following the most recent reminders that they are not quite as wonderful as the talk would have had them believe. It might be that two vital games in three days is more than should be demanded of any athlete.

Whatever it is, a skilful and emboldened Porto on Tuesday night went for the weakened World Champions’ jugular and made it a splendid spectacle. The final drama may have reminded us it’s a sin to feel too much within but from where I sat we did very well indeed to come out of it still with some chance of retaining our European crown. At home this year in Europe we have not produced one single performance worthy to put us among the all time greats. This is football at the highest level and if we show flaws we will answer for it.

It was vital to have Nemanja Vidic back. He played well but has shown before that effective warrior as he is he needs speed and intelligent experience to partner him and that he plays introspectively providing little leadership except by example. The man who can best cajole and encourage tired team mates, Rio, remains injured. Jonny Evans played alongside Vidic with O’Shea and Evra at fullback and he began like a lad playing his second tough game in fifty hours.

Paul Scholes was back in the middle but he now needs more time and space than used to be the case. He was partnered by Darren Fletcher from whom, like Ji Sung Park on the flank, you know exactly what you are going to get, and Michael Carrick whose season has reflected United’s; he is currently nowhere near the fluent and influential player he was six weeks ago. Ronaldo was on the other flank and thankfully back to lead the line was Wayne Rooney, at times a one man team.

The start was ominous; they carved through us. The defence is being criticised at the moment but the problem is further forward; midfielders failed to work back so that Porto had men free for the second and third phase. In such circumstances defenders dare not make mistakes and before we were settled in our seats Lisandro made Evans look like the apprentice he is and Van der Sar saved with an athletic dive to his left. When we cleared the corner with some good work under pressure Ronaldo’s careless pass was collected gratefully by Lucho Gonzáles. Ronaldo had no intention of putting in the effort to remedy his mistake and for the second time in a few torrid seconds Evans found himself trying to catch a genie as Cristián Rodríguez took the pass, dummied him and tucked it into the corner; 3 minutes 0-1.

If we were expecting a whirlwind to be unleashed we were disappointed. Ronaldo was among those who played the first half from where he had started, one moment giving another careless ball away, another forcing a photogenic save with a graceful header. We seemed unnerved by the ambition of a team which has made a habit of scoring two away goals. Porto could afford the luxury of ambitious passing because they knew they would be given back the ball. They had powerful shots, free headers. It was impossible to credit that it was we who were on a record unbeaten run with the most successful defence in the competition. Our performance was epitomised when a long cross from the right was allowed by O’Shea to drift over the area to Hulk at the far post, who thankfully put it wide. How they were not three goals to the good by half time I do not know. Blame it on a simple twist of fate; Bruno Alves, without looking, passed back to his goalkeeper. Wayne Rooney had instinctively read his body language, worked out it was probably the only decent ball he would get and intercepted; he made the rest look so easy; 14 minutes 1-1.

Even that gift could not rouse the team from its collective stupor. Some of it was tired legs; six of the starting line-up had played all or most of the Villa match two days beforehand. On one occasion there was not a single United midfielder who was as fast as the referee in tracking back to cover the danger. No-one came back to help John O’Shea who was being murdered at right back; time and again their fullback Aly Cissokho cruised down the wing and cut inside or put in a sharp cross. Neither was the crowd of much help. Where has that glorious support gone which had the ground swaying and vibrating when Juventus were running rings around Eric and the lads all those years ago? If as many people in the North Stand sang as whinged we might just have some effect on what happens on the pitch. At least the gods were favourable; we somehow survived and actually began to pass the ball around a little.

The second half was a contrast and provided as open and skilful an end-to-end game as you are likely to see at this level. We spent periods camped in their half passing the ball about but unable to penetrate too often, they were more direct and attacked in numbers on the break. Now we showed our familiar problem; great teamwork was not supplemented with a presence in the box. Ronaldo, playing with purpose because we were coming forward, put several good balls in.

Real forward impetus was not achieved until Giggs came on for Park; immediately he took a free kick which curled across the line of heads, then a move starting with Van der Sar playing sweeper ended with Rooney attempting the goal of the season, Helton clawing out his twenty five yard lob. From Giggs’ corner Vidic produced a thumping header which Helton did brilliantly to keep out. Porto’s response was to come forward; Van der Sar just got to a deflected shot from Leandro and parried another from Cissokho and it was like a basketball match; whichever team had the ball just went straight up the other end with it. With twenty minutes to go Tévez came on for Scholes and Neville for Evans. Tévez’ impact seemed short lived; he must have been pretty tired from his schedule of the last week. Yet just over ten minutes later he made the difference. Neville won and then took a throw from the right, Rooney on the bye line flicked it on with a lovely backheel and Tévez, under fierce pressure, cracked it into the roof of the net at the near post; 85 minutes 2-1.

A trip to Portugal next week with a single goal advantage would have been an excellent outcome from an evening of flirtation with disaster but before we could even begin to think about the ticking of the clock the tie once more turned on a simple twist of fate. Porto built cleverly, our defence was again unsupported and stretched across the field. Cristián Săpunaru crossed from the right. Neville, with two men to look after, covered the danger from Hulk in the middle of the goal but the ball had skimmed off the top of O’Shea’s head and fell to substitute Mariano alone at the far post. I telegraphed voodoo at him but I have no powers; as Van der Sar advanced he knocked the ball down and cleverly lifted it over him; 88 minutes 2-2.

Our second half comeback had been highly creditable but after that first twenty minutes you could not deny that Porto were worth at least a draw. They had 18 shots to our 14 and 8 corners to our 4, which speaks for their approach. Yet according to The Times ours was the superior possession (62%), the better passing success, the better tackling success. Perhaps all is not lost.

Paul James

Posted by Bill on 2009-04-07 @ 19:57:49 -0600

Manchester United face a tense battle to retain their place in this season's Champions League after failing to hold on to the late advantage provided by Carlos Tevez.

Although United were outplayed in the first half, Wayne Rooney's 14th goal of the season had ensured the Red Devils were level heading into the final stages.

When Tevez turned home Rooney's back-flick five minutes from time, Sir Alex Ferguson's men must have thought they had come through a very difficult evening.

But, not for the first time, they lost concentration in defence and with just a minute left Mariano found himself totally unmarked as he finished off a cross from the excellent Lisandro.

Ferguson had played down the belief that his side had it easy.

The fact their Portuguese opponents had finished above Arsenal in the group stages and dumped out a highly-rated Atletico Madrid outfit in the last round seemed to get overlooked in the assessment.

Yet even before they scored, Porto had served notice that their speed and slick passing game was going to be difficult to contain.

Lisandro drew an excellent save out of Edwin van der Sar after leaving Evans looking distinctly flat-footed.

The young Northern Ireland defender has drawn warm praise for the way he has stood in for both Rio Ferdinand and the returning Nemanja Vidic this season.

But against Aston Villa last Sunday came the first sign that the strain is starting to tell on the 21-year-old.

And after one escape, Porto were in no mood to offer another as a slack pass from Cristiano Ronaldo put United under pressure, just as it did on Sunday.

Lisandro swung over a cross that Evans should have dealt with comfortably.

Instead, he prodded the ball straight to Rodriguez, who took a stride forward before calmly curling a shot into the bottom corner.

Lisandro tested van der Sar again shortly afterwards as United again found themselves indebted to the keeper who, at 38, was preventing a total collapse.

It was the same kind of mauling United inflicted on Inter Milan at the San Siro during the first leg of their last 16 meeting in February.

Ferguson left Milan that night wondering how his side had not come away with a victory. Porto counterpart Jesualdo Ferreira must have been feeling exactly the same at half-time given United had managed to drag themselves level.

There was certainly no need for an inquest as to how the home side got their goal. There was not a hole big enough for Alves to leap into as he contemplated his catastrophic mistake.

Alves presumably thought he was doing exactly the right thing when he turned Aly Cissokho's square pass back to Helton.

Unfortunately for the Portugal international, he had not bothered to look and therefore spot Rooney in a position that required only the finish, which the England striker delivered with nerveless authority.

It was another 20 minutes before United created an opportunity by themselves, which Darren Fletcher cannoned into Cissokho.

The intervening period had been spent chasing shadows as Lisandro, Hulk and Rodriguez made a mockery of Porto's status as competition outsiders.

Ferguson used the interval wisely judging by the way his team began the second period, showing a bit more of the finesse Old Trafford is used to.

Still, it took a moment of inspiration from Rooney to threaten the visitors' goal as Helton touched the striker's sublime chip over.

Ryan Giggs' corner brought a more routine opportunity as Vidic climbed highest only for Helton to prove the equal of a powerful header.

For all United had gained a solid foothold in the contest, Porto were still an electrifying attacking force. Lisandro and Cissokho both brought decent saves out of van der Sar before Carlos Tevez, chasing back shortly after being introduced as a substitute, seemed to chop Hulk down in the area.

It did not come anywhere near the good fortune Rooney had profited from earlier but as a whole, Porto might have started to wonder whether the crucial element of luck would be missing from their quest to reach the last four.

When Tevez turned home Rooney's sublime back-flick five minutes from time, it seemed those fears had turned to reality.

But, as the celebrations rang round the stadium, Porto powered up to the other end where Mariano did his own supersub impression, drifting into space at the far post to finish off Lisandro's cross.

Teams

Man Utd Van der Sar, O'Shea, Vidic, Evans (Neville 72), Evra,Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes (Tevez 72), Ronaldo, Rooney,Park (Giggs 58).

Subs Not Used: Foster, Eckersley, Nani, Macheda.

Goals: Rooney 15, Tevez 85.

FC Porto Helton, Sapunaru, Rolando, Bruno Alves, Cissokho,Lucho Gonzalez, Fernando, Raul Meireles (Costa 79), Lopez,Hulk, Rodriguez (Mariano Gonzalez 79), Costa (Madrid 90).

Subs Not Used: Nuno, Stepanov, Farias, Sektioui.

Booked: Bruno Alves, Helton.

Goals: Rodriguez 4, Mariano Gonzalez 89.

Att: 74,517

Ref: Konrad Plautz (Austria).
sportinglife.com

Posted by Barry on 2009-03-20 @ 4:56:26 -0600

MANCHESTER United have been drawn against FC Porto in the Champions League quarter-final. United will play the first leg at home.

United will face the winners of Arsenal v Villarreal in the semi-finals if they beat Porto.

In the other quarter-finals, Liverpool face Chelsea while Barcelona will meet Bayern Munich. The winners of those two games will meet in the other semi-final.

The draw for the Champions League quarter-finals is:

Villarreal v Arsenal
Manchester United v Porto
Liverpool v Chelsea
Barcelona v Bayern Munich

The first legs will be played on April 7/8 with the second legs on April 14/15.

The draw for the Champions League semi-finals is:

Manchester United or Porto v Villarreal or Arsenal
Barcelona v Bayern Munich or Liverpool v Chelsea

The first legs will be played on April 28/29 with the second legs on May 5/6.