[UCL] Milan 2-3 Man Utd - 1st leg

[Ucup Carrick]

salut buat Ji....salut buat Roo...dan semua pemain united...
mesti kemenangan ini dibyar ama jatuhnya gua dari motor akibat jalanan licin...tapi kutukan milan dan san sironya bisa dipupus...

sayang abang gua jelek main plus kena kartu merah...

[catsuke]

Originally Posted by theater of dream

Rekor baru for United.. Jago Tandang...

yaps, 16 kali tandang ga pernah kalah, mantaph kan!!!

[drivemein]

AC Milan 2 United 3
-manchestereveningnews.co.uk-



Manchester United came from behind to beat AC Milan and edge ahead in their their Champions League last-16 tie.

A deflected Ronaldinho goal put the Rossoneri ahead before a lucky Paul Scholes goal restored parity.

Wayne Rooney then scored two second-half headers as the Reds took command, but a late strike from Clarence Seedorf gives Milan hope for the return leg at Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick was sent off late on for United.

United were made to look like a bunch of nervous mistake riddled rookies in the opening half hour.

Ronaldinho is only five weeks short of joining the 30 somethings in the Rossoneri dressing room and the word was that the one-time World Footballer of the Year is now shot!

It is doubtful that Rafael would have swallowed such theories but on his biggest Champions League night yet he still couldn't handle his fellow Brazilians magic opening.

The ever-present smile on his face that has illuminated so many matches down the years had supposed to have faded but Ronaldinho was all flashing teeth again as he reproduced a devastating repertoire.

It added up to a killer start for the Reds who suffered on both sides from some Copacabana artistry.

While Rafael was to ultimately struggle in his youth versus experience, Patrice Evra was in trouble the other way around.

Evra has been one of United best players all campaign and has a great many supporters justifiably claiming he is the best left back in the world. But Milan's 20-year-old Brazilian Pato made him look ordinary at times and he forced Evra to give away a foul in the third minute.

It was David Beckham's first moment for glory. His free kick was met by a spectacular attempt at a clearance by Evra.

The Frenchman is a fine exponent of the mid-air art but this time it flew into the danger area and Ronaldhino's strike glanced off Carrick and wrong-footed Edwin Van der Sar.

Now United had to show their true mettle when the chips are down, even though the Reds' record against AC in the San Siro didn't suggest a goal coming from anywhere.

United nerves

And with Rio Ferdinand's first outing since becoming the new England skipper turning into something of a nightmare and Jonny Evans' dominant form of late collapsing not only did scoring look a task beyond the Reds but containing Milan was also going to be a precarious business.

This was the twitchy and fragile United of pre-Christmas.

The Italians should have capitalised on United's giveaways but the Reds survived and out of the blue got the vital away goal.

Scholes is famously one of the crispest strikers of a ball Old Trafford has ever produced but they were content just to see his fluked 37th minute equaliser go in.

Darren Fletcher had escaped his role as Beckham's marker to drill in a low right foot cross that Scholes missed with his right foot but it struck his left and dribbled in past Dida.

But who cares about the quality? With luck like that United are going all the way to Madrid in May.

For much of the first half United could never have imagined in their wildest dreams theyd have returned to the dressing room on level terms.

Scholes' goal was like an injection of self-confidence for the Reds and it was a much needed shot that surged through their veins.

Meanwhile Milan were beginning to look the jaded side wed been told theyd become in Serie A.

Edwin van der Sar is older than any of the old heads in the Milan camp but he had to prove he was still very much a spring chicken with saves to keep out Pirlo and Ronaldinho as the hosts found a second half second wind.

But that was deflated superbly by Wayne Rooney.

Fergie had suggested the England striker was on the brink of becoming one of the worlds greats in the pre-match build up and he moved up a notch last night in the San Siro.

As United stepped it up and Milan faded, his power and speed asked questions of the Italians defence they couldnt answer.

Finally in the 66th minute he rose to loop a second goal for the Reds beyond Dida and then stole into space after 74 minutes to meet Fletcher's cross.

But there was sting in the tail for United. First Ronaldinho set up Seedorf to score, and then Michael Carrick was sent off for a second bookable offence after kicking the ball away.

[drivemein]

AC Milan 2 United 3: Player ratings
-manchestereveningnews.co.uk-



Van der Sar: Unlucky that Ronaldinho's opener took a deflection. Otherwise, spectacular save from playmaker Pirlo crowned a solid enough showing 8

Rafael: Chosen ahead of more experienced Brown or Neville and he will have learnt so much from playing against such technically adept opponents 6

Ferdinand: The new England skipper's return had the shakiest of starts but quickly found his feet to marshal the often under-siege back four as the Reds carved out a remarkable win 7

Evans: Perfectly-timed tackle to end Pato's menacing run but then almost ruined it all with sloppy clearance that set up Huntelaar chance. Not his best first-half 6

Evra: Disappointing clearance from that third-minute Beckham free-kick. Like the rest of the Reds, dramatically improved after the break 6

Carrick: Guilty along with the rest of United midfield of not imposing himself. Will be disappointed with his showing as he attempts to take Capello's eye and his night was summed up by his bizarre red card. 6

Scholes: Total fluke for equaliser but he was in the right place for Fletcher's excellent cross. No wonder sub Neville couldn't stop laughing 7

Fletcher: May have escaped much of furious Fergie's half-time hairdryer treatment by setting up the equaliser 8

Park: Daft foul to give Beckham perfect place for trademark free-kick. Even his industry made little impact against opponents ridiculously dubbed Dad's Army in uneducated circles 7

Rooney: When he got the service showed not once but twice that he's in the form of his life 9

Nani: Surprisingly chosen ahead of Valencia and United were much better when the Ecuadorian was on 6

Substitutes:

Valencia (Nani 64) - Immediately showed Nani what he should have been doing 8

Brown (Rafael 92) - too late to mark

Subs not used:

AC Milan: Dida, Bonera, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini, Beckham, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Alexandre Pato, Huntelaar, Ronaldinho. Subs: Abbiati, Gattuso, Inzaghi, Seedorf, Flamini, Favalli, Abate

[drivemein]

AC Milan 2 Manchester United 3: We deserved to win says Wayne Rooney
-dailypost.co.uk-



Wayne Rooney hailed Manchester United’s quality after they came from behind to beat AC Milan 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash in the San Siro on Tuesday night.

Ronaldinho put the hosts ahead in the opening moments but Paul Scholes grabbed a fortuitous equaliser and two goals from Rooney put United in charge.

Clarence Seedorf’s late goal pegged Sir Alex Ferguson’s side back but Rooney felt they were worthy winners.

The England striker said: "It was a disappointing start but after that we did well to get back into it. The second half we stepped it up and we fully deserved to win, we were always the better side.

"When we went 3-1 up I thought it was only us that looked like scoring. The goal keeps Milan in the tie but 3-2 in the San Siro is a great result."

Rooney cut a frustrated figure through much of the first half as Milan largely dominated and he hinted it was displeasure with the referee’s performance that was riling him.

"Some people were not doing their job right," he continued. "But I got the booking and I learned from it."

The match was David Beckham’s first against his former employers, and Rooney had some generous words for his England team-mate.

"You can see the quality he’s got," added the striker. "The experience, set-pieces, he’s a great player."

[drivemein]

FERGIE HAILS FANTASTIC ROONEY
-sportinglife.com-



Sir Alex Ferguson said the "fantastic" Wayne Rooney was the key to Manchester United's 3-2 Champions League win at AC Milan on Tuesday night.

Rooney netted two second-half headers as the Red Devils recovered from an early deficit to prevail in the San Siro.

Ferguson admitted United's last trip to the stadium, when they were thrashed 3-0 in the semi-finals in 2007, may have played on their minds following Ronaldinho's third-minute opener.

He told Sky Sports: "There was a catalogue of errors. The start to the game helped them and we started to get nervous - the last time we came here we conceded two early goals. But once we were settled I thought we did okay."

United were transformed in the second half, and Ferguson knew Rooney would be the key.

"The most important thing was better use of the ball and to use Rooney more. I felt he had the beating of them and he was fantastic tonight," continued the United boss.

"I thought we were coasting at 3-1 then it was a carnival end to the game. It's made it a game when it shouldn't have been a game.

"We've got to do a job at Old Trafford now. Let's go out and win it."

[drivemein]

Beckham: It's not over
-manchestereveningnews.co.uk-



AC Milan midfielder and former United star David Beckham insisted he had enjoyed facing the club with which he began his career, despite the result.

"It was all right," he told Sky Sports after United's 3-2 win at San Siro. "I enjoyed it. The fans were great to me. It's great to play in front of a full stadium."

The former England captain admitted Milan's missed chances in the first half had cost them.

"We had three really good chances but you have to put those chances away," he continued. "The second half the game opened up and they put them away.

"But it's not over. We'll go to Manchester and it's going to be a tough game, we know that."

[Supernan]

Wayne World!!!!

Gokil kalo sampe juara UCL, Rooney golden ball europe nih!!

Hahaha

[fredrian.seven]

Sip... 3-2. modal yang bagus ntar maen di kandang.
stamina milan nggak mumpuni maen full tuh. masak sejak menit 60an sampe 80an melempem. baru menjelang akhir jadi ngotot lagi. trus di awal2 pertandingan MU kok sering banget kecolongan ya. banyak peluang emasnya milan yang muncul. rasanya lini tengah MU agak terbuka di awal2 pertandingan.

trus ada beberapa hal yang aku heran bin nggak paham.
- fletcher semalem maen di sayap kiri ya? trus park jadi 2nd striker dibelakang rooney. maksudnya fergie apa ya? emang sapa winger kanan milan kok musti dilapis 2 evra dan fletcher. apa pato ya? park juga awalnya nggak terlalu efektif di 2nd striker.
- carrick di kartu merah karena apa ya? bukannya yang pelanggaran evra.

[drivemein]

San Siro Match Zone: Wayne Rooney's evil glare, Sir Alex Ferguson's anger manager, and the Green and Gold Army
-dailymail.co.uk-