Champions League - FC Porto v Manchester United - Apr 15
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Man Utd to win this and break the english team record at porto home ! i hope the defence can be better in the 2nd leg. scoreline 3-1 to the devils.
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ok TS... wanna ask u something regarding the first post...
why is the Porto logo so much smaller than United's logo???
LOL
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Originally posted by Pitot:
again, no reason why we will lose.
unless we play like shit. hey at least it aint benfica. hahaha
current stats, do show MU is playing like shit for the past few games..if not for one rookie, with his two goals, MU would be behind Chelsea and Pool in the league table.
With Rio back, the key is to withstand Porto for the first 15mins, cause Porto will come hard and fast, if they can, odds on.. Cause the first 15 mins in the first leg, MU were pressed back so hard, they almost exit the stadium... :P
Just hope it doesn't rain, if it does, reminds me of the Milan game.. chey!!
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man u should win all the way.
finals would be a repeat as last year's?
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Originally posted by iceFatboy:
current stats, do show MU is playing like shit for the past few games..if not for one rookie, with his two goals, MU would be behind Chelsea and Pool in the league table.
With Rio back, the key is to withstand Porto for the first 15mins, cause Porto will come hard and fast, if they can, odds on.. Cause the first 15 mins in the first leg, MU were pressed back so hard, they almost exit the stadium... :P
Just hope it doesn't rain, if it does, reminds me of the Milan game.. chey!!
thing is, u can have excuses for everything, except for playing like shit.
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Originally posted by jgho83:
ok TS... wanna ask u something regarding the first post...
why is the Porto logo so much smaller than United's logo???
LOL
Aiya... Like this "small matter" also want to ask... lolIts because when I found it... This was the original size mah... The United one is the standard weekly epl one lor...
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I hope United could win but I doubt they can... They have not perform well away from home recently and in Europe not just this season... So I hope they can make it but again... history show they won't... Just hope for the best... And the best means... Even if they lose, it will be for the best as they will have a better chance of defending their EPL title...
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they won!
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MU vs Arsenal next round right? Sucks...
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Originally posted by sand king:
MU vs Arsenal next round right? Sucks...
better than playing barcelona, i think.
but that could happen in the finals bah
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heng got arse-anal next round...villareal much much much tougher than arse anal...
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and may i add that the goal was damn beautiful reminiscent of Seedorf's wonder goal..
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Originally posted by sand king:
MU vs Arsenal next round right? Sucks...
aiyo, MU is going to play Arsenal may be up to 4 times, Fa cup, UCL, and league... sianz...
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liverpool will be very pleased man u won.
their title chances will be better.
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Originally posted by iceFatboy:
current stats, do show MU is playing like shit for the past few games..if not for one rookie, with his two goals, MU would be behind Chelsea and Pool in the league table.
With Rio back, the key is to withstand Porto for the first 15mins, cause Porto will come hard and fast, if they can, odds on.. Cause the first 15 mins in the first leg, MU were pressed back so hard, they almost exit the stadium... :P
Just hope it doesn't rain, if it does, reminds me of the Milan game.. chey!!
well, it did rained, but it rained on Porto's parade.
Kudos to the old fox, SAF for getting it tatically right.
With Rooney on right, stopping Porto's potent attack down the left flank, Anderson to bring back the bite in MF, and Rio to come in, MU led Porto into blind alley.
Importantly, he push Ronaldo upfront, so he doesn't have to track back and at the same time, force someone to watch him, and Porto can't attack without concern.
only thing, with just 1 goal lead, everything Porto attack, damn heart-stopping..
now for the SF, please, please, stop Gunners from Scoring, and get some goal advantage, that's crucial.
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Originally posted by iceFatboy:
well, it did rained, but it rained on Porto's parade.
Kudos to the old fox, SAF for getting it tatically right.
With Rooney on right, stopping Porto's potent attack down the left flank, Anderson to bring back the bite in MF, and Rio to come in, MU led Porto into blind alley.
Importantly, he push Ronaldo upfront, so he doesn't have to track back and at the same time, force someone to watch him, and Porto can't attack without concern.
only thing, with just 1 goal lead, everything Porto attack, damn heart-stopping..
now for the SF, please, please, stop Gunners from Scoring, and get some goal advantage, that's crucial.
What made Man Utd strong last night was their defense. With Rio back to partner Vidic, the defense looked much more stable, even when Porto had the ball, it was not as heart stopping as when Sunderland had the ball in the previous game.
I think the defense does well without GN. With Rio, Vidic is allowed to pressure much higher up. In the game you would have realised how he sometimes moves out of the centre to the flanks or higher up to pressure the offense earlier. Without Rio he has to remain in the centre most of the time..
Contrary to belief, I think O'shea is good. He makes good tackles and if you noticed he dispossesses the opponents quite frequently. I think his main problem is his headling. He always seem to lose out in that area..
Well, I think we are all happy to see Man Utd's game coming back to standard. At moments they demonstrated fluid one touch passing and flowing attack which were the reasons why other teams fear Man Utd before the slump..
Cheers!.
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Originally posted by Makanyhow:
What made Man Utd strong last night was their defense. With Rio back to partner Vidic, the defense looked much more stable, even when Porto had the ball, it was not as heart stopping as when Sunderland had the ball in the previous game.
I think the defense does well without GN. With Rio, Vidic is allowed to pressure much higher up. In the game you would have realised how he sometimes moves out of the centre to the flanks or higher up to pressure the offense earlier. Without Rio he has to remain in the centre most of the time..
Contrary to belief, I think O'shea is good. He makes good tackles and if you noticed he dispossesses the opponents quite frequently. I think his main problem is his headling. He always seem to lose out in that area..
Well, I think we are all happy to see Man Utd's game coming back to standard. At moments they demonstrated fluid one touch passing and flowing attack which were the reasons why other teams fear Man Utd before the slump..
Cheers!.
well, all things work together.. though, there were some heart stopping moments..
last but not least, it was a nice touch to see united players wearing black-arm bands for the 96 lives..
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Cristiano Ronaldo superstrike sends Manchester United through to face Arsenal
These are the nights when Cristiano Ronaldo lives up to all the hype, when the World Player of the Year really looks the shining star in the footballing universe.
Boom: Cristiano Ronaldo shoots, and scores, from distance in Porto.As Manchester United fans twirled their scarves above their heads, as Porto’s fortress finally fell to British opposition, Ronaldo’s majestic early strike will live long in the memory.
The advantage gained, United played with great discipline, rarely risking possession, and restricting Porto to few attempts on goal as they progressed to a semi-final with Arsenal, conquerors of Villarreal. Throughout the season, Sir Alex Ferguson has made polite noises about Arsene Wenger, the suspicion being that the United manager did not consider Arsenal a real threat. Real friendship or phoney war? We shall shortly find out.
United will certainly relish the challenge, having responded superbly to the task of gaining the result they required, and ending Porto’s 22-game unbeaten run at home against British opposition. If Ronaldo will claim the headlines, United’s victory was rooted in the will to win of men like Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, attackers who helped out defensively all the time. Rooney, all deft feet and the heart of a lion, continues to mature marvellously on the grand stages.
Even the delights of a day spent in the port-houses that cascade down the hill to the inky Douro could not compete with the joy that had intoxicated the United supporters after eight minutes here. Ferguson’s side had started brightly enough, Wayne Rooney looking lively down the right, Dimitar Berbatov showing some neat touches upfront and Anderson snapping into tackles in midfield, but there had been little indication of the thunderbolt to come.
Only the weather had hinted at such a stunning development: hail lashed against the roof of this magnificent stadium while United fans clung to their scarves as the wind and the rain buffeted them. Then came Ronaldo, unleashing that lightning strike, conjuring up the type of exceptional goal that saw him crowned European Footballer of the Year.
Picking up possession 35 yards out, Ronaldo was afforded far too much room. Maybe Porto did not expect him to let fly from such a distance. Maybe their centre-halves, Rolando and Bruno Alves, had not anticipated one of the world’s most accomplished wingers being deployed through the middle.
Yet this was a tactic Ferguson used to good effect in winning the Champions League last year, against Roma en route to Moscow and against Chelsea in the final itself. Ronaldo’s aerial strength always makes him a menace in the central acres yet here he was deep and with the ball at his feet. Neither Rolando nor Bruno Alves stepped out to tackle the problem. Nor was Porto’s anchorman, Fernando, alive to the danger.
Ronaldo was hardly waiting for an ambush party to gather. Catching the ball powerfully with his right, United’s No 7 sent his shot flying from right to left past the startled Helton. Porto’s keeper had constantly denied United at Old Trafford but was helpless here. Hardly surprising: Ronaldo’s shot hit 64mph as it sped into the net.
As befits a player proud of his Sporting Lisbon heritage, Ronaldo relished the sight of Porto’s net almost being ripped from the stanchions. Every one of his touches had drawn derision from the Dragao terraces so the moment was all the sweeter. Once again, Ferguson’s strategy had been vindicated, particularly with Rooney delivering a prodigious shift on the right, tracking back to make tackles by United’s corner-flag as well as charging forward.
Porto rallied. Lisandro tested Edwin van der Sar with an overhead kick but little was seen in the first half of the slick Porto movement that had so alarmed United at Old Trafford. Unlike last week, the champions of Europe were playing with steel as well as élan. Michael Carrick made some important challenges. Even Berbatov put in a tackle.
Here was the performance that Ferguson had demanded, brimming with organisation, adventure and an appreciation of the need not to concede possession. Ahead on aggregate, United remained acutely aware of the reality that a Porto goal swung the tie back in the hosts’ favour.
So they hunted stealthily for a second. When the elusive Berbatov crossed from the right, Ryan Giggs met the ball first-time, bringing a scrambled save from Helton.
At times operating as 4-2-4, their width keeping Porto’s full-backs pinned back, United also displayed real character to go with their attacking zeal. When Rooney tried to race away from Fernando, the England striker took a nasty chop to the ankle from the Porto ball-winner. Refusing to leave his team, United hobbled on, eventually running the knock off.
United finished the half toying with Porto. First, John O’Shea flicked on a Giggs corner and Nemanja Vidic missed a straightforward chance from close in. Then a wonderful passing move, including a sublime flick from Rooney, was ended only by Helton speeding from his line to spoil the United fun.
At the break, Ferguson told TV that "we have to go for that second goal’’, pointing out Porto’s quality. Yet as the clock ticked down, nerves rose within local hearts. Ball-boys threw balls back more quickly, passes went astray such was Porto’s haste and occasional spiteful tackles flew in on Ronaldo. United, though, faced a real challenge.
One slip spelled oblivion. Mariano escaped Rio Ferdinand to send a header floating wide. Hulk drilled in a free-kick that Van der Sar held comfortably. United seemed to be soaking up the intermittent pressure, with Berbatov parading their committed nature with another tackle.
The Bulgarian was tiring so Ferguson withdrew him halfway through the second period, introducing Nani. United were now 4-2-3-1 and a real variety act: their attack was formed by three players more associated with wing-play and a centre-forward, Rooney, stationed wide.
Semi-final dates
Tues Apr 28 Barcelona v Chelsea
Wed Apr 29 Manchester United v ArsenalTues May 5 Arsenal v Manchester United
Wed May 6 Chelsea v BarcelonaFinal
Sat May 27 Stadio Olimpico, Rome.
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brilliant goal from C.R last night, wooo
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Originally posted by HeiHao:
brilliant goal from C.R last night, wooo
agreed, never expect him to launch one... but surprise was an element...
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insane goal, so kudos to ronaldo just for that.
kudos to rooney for playing like a natural right winger and tracking back to help in defend.
kudos to ferdinand and vidic for making the defence look as though it is back to their record clean sheet form a few weeks back.
kudos to Porto for making it a very difficult win for ManUtd. Porto deserves all the praise they can get. Very good players they have in their team.
First English team to beat Porto in their home ground. Kudos for being first in that.
Glory, glory Man United. Legends. Cantona.
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Originally posted by dinky1409:
insane goal, so kudos to ronaldo just for that.
kudos to rooney for playing like a natural right winger and tracking back to help in defend.
kudos to ferdinand and vidic for making the defence look as though it is back to their record clean sheet form a few weeks back.
kudos to Porto for making it a very difficult win for ManUtd. Porto deserves all the praise they can get. Very good players they have in their team.
First English team to beat Porto in their home ground. Kudos for being first in that.
Glory, glory Man United. Legends. Cantona.
U missed another hero - anderson, he added some steel to the midfield.
and carrick looks fresh..
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super crazy goal.
another night to remember
Man U in the finals for sure.
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Originally posted by iceFatboy:
U missed another hero - anderson, he added some steel to the midfield.
and carrick looks fresh..
Ya the midfield retained the ball very well yesterday.
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Originally posted by iceFatboy:
U missed another hero - anderson, he added some steel to the midfield.
and carrick looks fresh..
for anderson, i was not really comfortable with his stray passes and heavy touches on the ball and losing possession of the ball.. But no doubt, he's winning balls in the centre of the field for us.. carrick is very quiet, cant really remember anything on him, so he probably did just sufficient.