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Posted by PaulJ on 2009-04-19 @ 4:15:05 -0600

Shooting Star

Having travelled under our own steam to Milan, we decided to try the Official Prawn Sandwich trip to Porto so I set out from home at nine on Tuesday evening for the four hour drive to Manchester airport, three hours sleep in the airport hotel and checked in at six to be crammed in the tiniest aeroplane seat I have ever occupied, given my €90 match ticket, bussed to the second city of our oldest Military Allies and deposited in a riverside car park in the pouring rain next to a restaurant and shopping complex which was due to open in an hour and a half.

Matters improved. The rain stopped, the walk along the riverbank and across the bridge to the old city was pleasant and the twelfth century granite cathedral atop its fortified hill a place of ghosts and history. We descended a vertiginous and Neapolitan maze of medieval streets and squares and steps, some ancient houses beautifully tended, some horribly derelict, past the brilliantly executed graffiti of black teenage gangs to the riverside where armed riot police stood watching as the café juke boxes blasted out Status Quo’s “C’mon You Reds” and with only eight hours to go to kick off United supporters were wasting no time getting legless. Prawn Sandwichers could walk by and back to our coaches, for the South Bank of the river is one vast seventeenth and eighteenth century industrial estate of Port houses and we were being offered a tasty four hour lunch plus generous helpings of decent wine at Taylors’ in the company of some friendly and knowledgeable United fans and complete with a well-judged politically incorrect session by comedian Billy Bean.

The Estádio do Dragão is across the river on top of a hill East of the old city, an elegant white concrete structure; the Britannia Stadium’s prettier sister. Prawn Sandwichers are not treated like asylum seekers and we climbed unescorted past the modest club store to a pleasant stand which has a sense of Latin relaxation about it occasioned by the apparent levitation of the roof and the consequent feeling of openness. Locals stood and gawped as if we had escaped from their zoo.

Porto have a Master of Ceremonies who leads the chanting and singing, whither the sheep follow. The feeling which had been inferred all day in the city was confirmed here; the locals were supremely confident of victory and happy to indulge their expectation vocally. Ten, twelve rows of Prawn Sandwichers were comfortably seated amongst the enemy without armed escort; as local lads shook the UEFA blanket and the familiar official paean to lasagne rang out across the Dragon’s Den and we could look to our right to where the ale and meat pie fans were penned in and giving their all against Napoleonic odds. Whether through insight or blind hope I had begun to believe that we would be the first English team to win here.

Porto selected the XI with which they had started in Manchester. Their coach Jesualdo Ferreira was banned from the touchline and in high dudgeon had exiled himself from the stadium. We had Rio back from injury, enabling us to field a defence which had only a short time ago been amassing records. His prescience made a significant difference to those around him. In the middle of the field we had Anderson whose belligerence and drive won us many a midfield challenge and whose attitude presented a declaration of intent to Porto players who were expecting an easier ride. Carrick continued the improvement which had started at Sunderland. Ronaldo played up the middle and looked like a man trying to break into another world having won the accolades his own has to offer. Rooney played on the right flank and crucially kept Aly Cissokho occupied, allowing John O’Shea to look good again. Berbatov had a commanding first half and by the time he came off had run seven and a half kilometres, close to Anderson’s work rate, completed 32 passes at an 80% success rate and, of course, missed a couple of chances.

We did not resemble the side which had so timidly dallied at Old Trafford. By the time Van der Sar had smothered a Hulk free kick after three minutes we had already put together a flowing move up each flank and when Ronaldo got the ball from Anderson outside the centre circle, he took a couple of strides and without a great deal of fuss hit it at what Television measured as a few inches short of forty yards and a speed of sixty five miles an hour beyond Helton’s stretch and just inside the left hand post; it was stunning and it silenced the crowing crowd; 6 minutes 1-0.

Before the half hour Lisandro López was allowed within shooting distance to volley over his left shoulder but United played a magnificent first half and by the interval Porto had had only one further chance, Bruno Alvez heading a long, deep free kick wide at the far post. United, meanwhile, could have gone further ahead with a Carrick drive, a controlled volley from Giggs which Helton smothered at the near post and a lovely move in added time which ended when Helton just nicked clear Giggs’ low cross. When Ronaldo ran half the length of the field to force a corner, from it O’Shea headed onwards and Vidic, in a crowded area but only two or three yards out, somehow managed to put the ball over the bar. It was frustrating because we all felt we needed the second goal to draw the sting of any potential equaliser and I felt we would go on to win by a convincing score if we could get it.

As slow as time passed in the second half, the nearest we came to coming unstuck was when Van der Sar’s trouble in dealing with a backpass from Giggs culminated in a cut head and a yellow card for Evra and a free kick which Hulk thankfully shot fiercely to where Van der Sar could smother it cleanly.

Our few moves were better; Rooney provided the pass of the night for Berbatov to shoot straight at the goalkeeper, a sweeping move up the field left to right had Ronaldo feeding Giggs, who provided a killer ball for which Berbatov was just too slow and on the hour Ronaldo released Rooney on the right whose cross would have been perfect for a powerful centre forward but Giggs at the far post, though he got his header in, was surrounded by South American beefcake.

Berbatov came off; I assume we replaced him with Nani in order to allow the youngster to make a point in his native country but the lad initially provided all the worst Ronaldo traits with none of the genius. We all remembered the added time heartbreak of the last meeting and the nerves were taut. With fifteen minutes to go Scholes came on for Anderson and Porto won a few corners, one of which Van der Sar missed elegantly; Rolando put his header wide. Mariano was making use of Nani’s indiligence and giving Evra some trouble on our left; when Nani did come back Mariano skinned him but thankfully Lisandro sidefooted the chance straight at Van der Sar; a goal then and it would have been curtains. Yet we had late chances too, Nani finding his attacking flair at the last and threatening with Giggs up the left, Ronaldo very nearly scoring with a low drive which Helton somehow flipped wide.

Prawn Sandwichers are not locked in after the match. They are spat upon from above but if they can find their luxury coach (which is not quite where promised) they are whisked back to the airport where their chartered flight is held on the runway for hours whilst the Portuguese police go round the City in search of every last inebriated United supporter and shovel him onto the plane. We got back early morning and having stolen a couple of naps on the flight I drove straight home and got in at six. Perhaps it was the tiredness but I was extraordinarily unthrilled for a man who had just seen his team into the Champions League semi-finals. I believe we must improve if we are to see off Arsenal and I am disheartened by the prospect of another summer of piracy by Real Madrid; I wondered if I had seen a shooting star tonight slipping away.

Paul James

Posted by Bill on 2009-04-15 @ 20:33:36 -0600

Cristiano Ronaldo's astounding early goal left Sir Alex Ferguson to go head-to-head with old rival Arsene Wenger for a place in the Champions League Final.

The emergence of Chelsea and Liverpool may have taken the edge off battles between Manchester United and Arsenal over the past few years.

But the renewal of hostilities promises to be almost as spectacular as the Ronaldo strike that created it.

The sixth-minute effort was his 20th goal of the season and only his second in the Champions League since completing that astonishing haul of 42 in last year's final in Moscow.

There was certainly no doubting it was worthy of winning any game, and earning United the accolade of becoming the first English team to beat Porto on their own ground.

As almost a side issue, it also keeps the Red Devils on track to win the quintuple in a season they have bounced back at just the right time.

In calling for the spirit of Turin '99, Ferguson also knew if that momentous evening was to be repeated, he would have to go through the agony of being two goals down before a famous victory could be achieved.

Ronaldo however, has his own history book to fill.

A repeat of last season's 42-goal tally was never likely to be repeated in a campaign delayed because of ankle surgery.

But the 24-year-old has still make a significant contribution to United's attempt to land an unprecedented quintuple, even if, like so many of his team-mates, he has looked a little off the pace in recent weeks.

There could have been no better stage to signal his renewed intent.

Apart from his beloved Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo is roundly jeered when he returns to one of the major clubs in his homeland, Porto being no exception.

They recognise his talent, though, even if no-one expected what followed when Ronaldo collected Anderson's short pass closer to the halfway line than the opposition goal.

Sensing a little trepidation in home ranks, Ronaldo let rip with a shot as brutally powerful as it was audacious in its intent.

Porto keeper Helton did not have a chance of keeping the ball out as it flashed past him to give United the start Ferguson could not have dreamed.

Had Nemanja Vidic been able to keep his close-range effort under the crossbar after John O'Shea had got the faintest of touches to a Ryan Giggs corner just before the interval, the Red Devils would surely have completed their task in half the time allotted.

Unfortunately, the Serbian missed, allowing Porto to nurse plenty of hope during a half-time team-talk delivered by Jose Gomes as banned coach Jesualdo Ferreira apparently watched on TV at a secret location outside the stadium.

After his major blunder last week, Bruno Alves was determined to make amends and threatened Edwin van der Sar's goal on three separate occasions during that opening period.

But this was United at their belligerent best. Their intent showed in the reaction of a normally phlegmatic Dimitar Berbatov to losing possession and, after a public rebuke from his manager last weekend for not doing enough for the team, an apologetic wave of regret from Ronaldo after a misplaced pass.

Just as Vidic spurred the chance of a second immediately before the break, so Berbatov did the same just afterwards when he wriggled his way into the Porto penalty area.

Porto took it as their cue to mount another offensive.

But with Rio Ferdinand back alongside Vidic after his recent groin strain there was an authority about United's defending that had not been in evidence since before they were dismantled by Liverpool five games ago.

There was experience too, with Ryan Giggs and Van der Sar taking just long enough over their set pieces not to incur the wrath of Swiss referee Massimo Busacca while eating up vital seconds.

The introduction of Nani for Berbatov midway through the second period hinted at a strategy of counter-attacking at pace.

It was certainly Porto carrying any threat that did exist and Rolando was too close for comfort with a far post header.

Yet this United were different to what has been almost the shadow side that has existed before now.

And while they did not exactly coast home, the visiting supporters were celebrating victory long before the final whistle confirmed it.

Teams:

FC Porto Helton, Sapunaru (Costa 80), Rolando, Bruno Alves, Cissokho, Lucho Gonzalez (Mariano Gonzalez 31), Fernando, Raul Meireles, Lopez, Hulk, Rodriguez (Farias 64).

Subs Not Used: Nuno, Stepanov, Guarin, Madrid.

Man Utd Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Carrick, Anderson (Scholes 78), Rooney, Berbatov (Nani 68), Ronaldo.

Subs Not Used: Foster, Neville, Evans, Tevez, Macheda.

Booked: Vidic, Evra.

Goals: Ronaldo 6.

Agg (2-3)

Att: 50,000

Ref: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland).
sportinglife.com

Posted by Barry on 2009-04-08 @ 4:39:18 -0600

SIR Alex Ferguson admitted United could not afford to gift FC Porto their late equaliser at Old Trafford.

United head to Portugal next week knowing they must do something no other English side has managed in 11 previous attempts and defeat Porto on their own ground.

Barring an even bigger score draw, the 2-2 scoreline means the Champions League holders must win or go out at the quarter-final stage.

It did look as if United would collect a precious lead from the first-leg tie despite being outplayed during the opening period.

But Carlos Tevez's 85th-minute effort was quickly cancelled out by Mariano, to leave Ferguson to reflect on what might have been.

"You have to think the last goal was one we could not afford to lose," said the United boss.

"It was a terrible goal to give away when you are 2-1 up and seeing the game out.

"It is a difficult job now, not made any easier when they tell you no British team has won in Porto.

"But we only have ourselves to blame. We just have to win. We have been first at everything at this club. Let's hope we can be first again."

After their last-gasp heroics against Aston Villa on Sunday, United appeared to be caught off guard by Porto's flying start.

What was once the most watertight defence in Europe failed to come to terms with the threat Porto posed and the visitors could easily have scored more than the single first-half goal they did manage through Cristian Rodriguez.

The only reason Porto were not in front at the break was a disastrous mistake from Bruno Alves, who gifted Wayne Rooney a 15th-minute equaliser.

United got on top in the second-half and when Tevez struck at the near post, it seemed victory would be secured.

"At that point in the game you just think 'excellent' because we had not played particularly well," said Ferguson.