Saturday 18 April 2009
Thursday 16 April 2009
Time for MU ... it'z Only One United
A focused United line up at the Estadio Do Dragao, boosted by the return from injury of Rio Ferdinand
Cristiano Ronaldo gives United a dream start with a stunning long-range effort in the 6th minute
Wayne Rooney, outstanding all night on the right wing, outmuscles Porto's Hulk
Jeered mercilessly by the home support, Ronny revels in his 40-yard rocket
Ronaldo is congratulated by his jubilant team-mates
Rio Ferdinand prevents yet another Porto attack from amounting to anything serious
Raul Meireres can't hide his disappointment as United celebrate the final whistle
Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates steering the Reds into the semi-finals for the third successive season
United's travelling support were able to celebrate the result, if not the weatherRonny: Onwards and upwards
Following a stunning individual contribution and a ruthless team display, Cristiano Ronaldo hopes United's win in Porto will signal an upturn in form.The winger struck an incredible winner against the Portuguese champions, and the Reds posted a first clean sheet in six games to ensure progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
With an FA Cup semi-final against Everton and the ongoing Premier League title race to consider as well, Ronny is hopeful that he and the Reds have rediscovered their best form at the perfect time.
"This win gives us great confidence," he told MUTV. "The last five or six games we didn't play great and I hope this changes it. We started the season fantastically, after which we have gone down a little bit but I'm very confident and I'm looking forward to being back to my best and my colleagues as well."
Although the winger's goal proved decisive in the Estadio do Dragao, Ronaldo took time to salute the contribution of the Reds' backline, who were bolstered by a flawless display from the returning Rio Ferdinand.
"Rio did fantastic, and Vida, and Sheasy and Evra - but Rio makes it comfortable for the other players," he said. "He's mature, experienced and the defenders were great. We played compact, and it's very tough to score against us when we are together."
Defence was key to victory
Sir Alex Ferguson cited the welcome return of a solid foundation as United claimed a slender but significant victory in Portugal.Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic earned much of his praise as they played 90 minutes together for the first time since the Reds overcame Inter 2-0 in the previous round of the Champions League - also the last occasion when United kept a clean sheet.
"I think the stability at the back, the recognition of Ferdinand and Vidic together is always a great start for your team," said Sir Alex after winning his 150th Champions League match.
"There was a lot of good concentration at the back, the team defended very, very well and I think that was key to it really. If we can get back to that foundation of not giving goals away, then we can do well."
United had an aggregate lead to defend from as early as the sixth minute at Estadio do Dragao, thanks to a glorious goal by Cristiano Ronaldo - arguably one of the best of his illustrious career to date.
"It was unbelievable, a magnificent hit, absolutely fantastic," enthused Sir Alex.
"The shot took them all by surprise, coming from 30 yards or whatever it was. The goalkeeper had no chance really."
The boss went on to clarify the content of a recent conversation with Cristiano. "The point I made to Ronaldo was to keep the referees on his side and not turn them against him.
"He's expecting a foul (to be given) every time. He's the best player in the world, he's going to be fouled and sometimes the referee's going to err on the other side. He's just got to accept that. If he does that, then he's a great player."
Another great player who performed well on the night, albeit without grabbing the headlines, was Wayne Rooney. The striker operated in a selfless role on the right flank and earned the manager's praise for his "engine and appetite."
"You can ask some players to do a certain role in a game of football because they have a certain desire and an appetite. Wayne's got that."
Turning his attentions to the next challenge in Europe, and the prospect of facing Arsenal at Old Trafford and then the Emirates, Sir Alex said:
"An all-British semi-final adds a certain spice to the tie. It’s two good football teams - the game at the Emirates earlier in the season was a fantastic representation of the way football should be played.
"It should be a terrific semi-final and we’re looking forward to it."
Carrick: We always believed
Michael Carrick insists United's players always held an unwavering confidence that Porto could be overcome, despite the Portuguese champions' away-goals advantage and their proud home record.
With two Old Trafford strikes safely in the bank and their much-heralded unbeaten record against British opposition in the Stadio do Dragao, Porto were confident of dumping the reigning European champions out of the competition on Wednesday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo's wonderful early goal, allied to a mature, disciplined team display sent the Reds through to a semi-final clash with Arsenal, and Carrick was delighted by United's timely return to form.
"Obviously it's a tough place to come and get a result, but we knew it was in our hands," the midfielder told MUTV. "We really fancied ourselves to come and score here, and defend right. It was a good team performance all round and we're delighted to go through.
"We started the game very well and looked good, and to get the goal was a big bonus. From then I thought we were in control. They came at us, which you'd expect, but we defended very well, even though it was still on a knife-edge.
"From going through, all of a sudden you can be going out. We were well aware of that and knew we had to defend right to the final whistle, and I thought we did that very well."
Does it on the big stage
After a tense night in Portugal, MUTV Commentator David Stowell marvels at the man from Madeira and yet another of his torpedo style wonderstrikes...It must be an odd feeling being told you’re the best in the world. Not average. Not just good. Not just your team’s top man, but the planet’s stand-out performer. It’s a frightening thought and a whole world of pressure to land on the shoulders of someone who is in their early twenties.
But - and let’s face it, you knew a ‘but’ was coming - last night in the buzzing cauldron of noise and general hysteria aptly nicknamed “The Dragons’ Den”, we caught another glimpse of why Cristiano was last year voted the globe’s greatest.
Let’s not beat around the bush, last night was pivotal. Before the game United had 90 minutes to continue what could be the most glorious of seasons, but also potentially an hour and a half from seeing an emotionally and physically draining campaign begin to unravel at the worst possible time. If you believe those in the newspaper business, our seasons are always teetering on a knife edge. We needed industry as well as inspiration. A cool head mixed with red-hot accuracy.
With the press box full of headline writers sharpening their pencils and ready to toss United’s season onto the bonfire, our wing wizard stepped forward, reached into his box of tricks and pulled out a jet-propelled rocket. He held the defender at arms length, dropped his shoulder, lit the blue touch paper a full 40 yards from goal and it shot off into the night sky. Everything seemed to slow down as the stadium held its breath.
Helton in goal probably thought he was well prepared for the arrival of a firecracker from that distance, after all he was wearing gloves and it was raining. But his foamed
fingertips didn’t even get close. As the Brazilian keeper grasped at thin air, those in blue prayed for one thing, those in red, another. Ronny’s match-winning missile cut through the ‘Dragao’ drizzle, accelerating to break-neck speed before exploding into the net, sending Porto’s European dream up in smoke.
Hysterical voices of commentators around the ground, speaking in a multitude of languages, went into orbit just as the ball had. Maybe Porto’s absent coach knew what was going to happen, running for cover before the game had even started.
The shot was caught speeding through the night sky at no less than 65 miles per hour. It was a truly jaw-dropping strike, and not bad for someone who supposedly doesn’t do it on the big stage.
The views expressed in this blog are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.
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