Rooney’s demolition of Milan continued. Real Madrid exit Europe…

Two goals from Wayne Rooney followed by one each from Park andFletcher completed a 4-0 drubbing of A C Milan in the champions league pre-quarters at Old Trafford. Also in a major upset in Europe nine times European champions Real Madrid crashed out of this year’s campaign after losing on the aggregate score of 1-2 againstOlympique Lyonnais over the two legs as they could only manage a 1-1 draw at home in Santaigo Bernabéu.

 

It was a perfect night for the Red Devils, who were already up 3-2 from the 1^st leg and now playing in front of here home crowd. United got the early lead in the 13^th minute whenNeville gave a wonderful cross from the right which found Wayne Rooney in the Milanpenalty area, who headed past Christian Abbiati making the aggregate 4-2. United’s second came just after the half time when Nani’s great run from the left cleared half of the Milandefence and then passed a brilliant ball to free Wayne Rooney in the centre who grabbed the ball and shot past Abbiati for his second. Just at the hour mark J S Park tripled the home side’s lead when he scored a great goal of a very narrow angle from the right and things were finally wrapped up by Darren Fletcher in the 88^th minute who made it 4-0 whenRafael’s long ball found him and he sweetly headed it past the keeper.

 

Olympique Lyonnais had a one goal lead before coming to Madrid for the return leg but one thing they knew was that playing at Santaigo Bernabéu in front of 1,00,000+ Real fans is not easy. Cristaino Ronaldo put the home side in the front in the 6^th minute when Guti’s ball found him and after controlling it he shot past the goal keeper making the home side coming at par. The situation was getting tense and the proceedings were referring to extra time but just 15 minutes from time Miralem Pjanić one -on -one with Lisandro ended upPjanic scoring from close range to put Lyon in aggregate lead again. With no serious attempts on goal the final scoreline remained the same, making it worst for Madrid come true and for Lyon, the prized place in the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier event.

Manchester United eyes champions league quarters but Real has a task to perform.

After going top of the premier league, Manchester United will hoping to make it to the next round of the UEFA Champions Leaguewhen they will be facing Italian giants A C Milan for the return leg at Old Trafford. In the first leg United beat the home side 3-1 to take the crucial lead. In the other match of the day, Real Madrid will be hosting Olympique Lyonnais for their return leg and this time around Real needs to get early into the game to prove that the 0-1shock defeat in the first leg was just luck for the French side.

 

Manchester United has not always got the better over the Italians as when they met last time around they were routed 0-3 at San Siro after winning 3-2 at home in the semi finals of 2007. But as the proceedings have gone Manchester United are looking all fired up for the night. The defence seems to be getting better and better with Rio-Vidic standing like a wall and Nani, Valencia in good form in the mid field. Paul Scholes will be all fired up
after his scoring century of goals in the league in the last match.

The big talking point at OT is home coming of former United captain David Beckham who is on loan to Milan. His time at United was full of news which included wrong reasons and private life and problems with Sir Alex. So the kind of reception he receives will be worth seeing.

 

In the other match at Santaigo Bernebue, Real Madrid will be determined to get past Lyonwith the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka, Raul & Co. According to Portuguese winger statement on the official website he said “We need
to go out there to win and must begin the match thinking that we are going to score. Lyon didn’t concede any goals against us, but I hope Wednesday is a different story. We know it’s hard, but it is possible. We will do everything we can from the very first to very last minute.” 
Both the matches will be starting at 2045 Hours GMT on 10^thMarch.

United’s trip to San Siro to meet Becks

After a long break, the premier tournment of Europe is back and back with a big bang with 16 super powers of Europe will be starting the knock out phase of theChampions’ league. Tonight will see 99’s treblers Manchester United go to San Siro to face the Italian giants AC Milan and in the other match Real Madrid will be up against French side Olympique Lyonnais.

It will be more than a match for ex-Manchester United player David Beckham who will be facing his former club for the first time in his adopted home at San Siro. In the press conference he said “I am a Manchester United supporter and for the first time I will have to hope for them to lose”. After topping a relatively easier group this will be Unitedfirst test in Milan specially when the likes of Ronaldinho and Co. Further blow for the visitors is that thier ace wingerRyan Giggs is out due to the fracture he got against Villa which will keep him out for atleast a month. It will beWayne Rooney who is expected to take the cake and Milan will be ready to stop every inch of his movement. So in just couple of hours, the first leg will decide the future course of action, don’t miss the action at 2045 Hours GMT (0215 Hours IST).

Lyon will be all set to prove that their place in the lats 16 is not a fluke when they will be hosting Spanish giants Real Madrid for the first leg. They will be banking on the likes of Cristaino Ronaldo, Kaka to fire in this one. WIth their unbeaten run this year in the champions league it is no doubt that they are the favourites to take the fixture away and carry on the momemtum till they reach their home ground for the final in may. With both the teams playing for some important point it will be exciting to see what results takes them to the return leg a week later. That match will be starting at the same time of that at San Siro.

Adidas F50, Nike Mercurial Vapor IV. Whats Your pick???

It’s the first rule of working as a Nike designer: never believe those who say you can’t improve on perfection. After years of development work – and the input of Mercurial athletes from R9 himself to the latest brilliant Brazilian – the Mercurial Vapor IV is living proof that the definition of ‘perfect’ never stops changing.
When the seal was broken on Cristiano Ronaldo’s new shoebox, you could hear the groans from defenders all over the world. The most in-form player on the planet was hard enough to stop, without adding a new weapon to his arsenal – and it took CR7 a mere 88 minutes to sear his orange peel Vapors into the fans’ memories with his first ever Manchester United hat trick. Five months and 20 goals later, CR7’s boots contained the first winger ever to win the European Golden Shoe, and the seventh consecutive Merc wearer to take the title of English Premier League top scorer.

Fine-tune your play and dominate with the flair you were born for. This adidas football F50 i TUNIT™ boot has a stealthy design, changeable studs and a TRAXION® FG outsole for stellar firm ground grip. As the concept of mixing individual components to create soccer cleats matching your style and preferences remains the same, Adidas F50.8 Tunit consists four not three exchangeable parts. Besides the Upper, Chassis and Studs that are part of the previous versions, new Tunit brings an additional component in Sockliner or Insole.

After choosing your Upper and inserting the Chassis, that forms the interior of the shoe and holds the studs, you need to place the Sockliner inside the shoe on the top of the Chassis. It is Henry’s favourite shoes. The best thing about the shoes is that you can make it the way you want. Howz that!!!

Ronaldo cannot be legend!!!

“You can argue as much as you like Miles but Ronaldo will never ever be a Man Utd legend!”
This was the scathing and agitated response I got from a mate who happens to be a Manchester United fan through and through. As a modest Charlton Athletic supporter it beggared belief that this thought could be the consensus amongst Reds fans, so here beings the investigation.For a midfielder his scoring record was exceptional and his goals per game ratio eclipses that of any other midfielder let alone right winger to have ever played for Manchester Untied. A prolific dead ball specialist, an accomplished dribbler, a deft finisher from range, a predator in the box and in the air he scored all types of goals and in important matches too. He netted several crucial goals in Premier League matches in three seasons of dominance for the north east team including goals in an FA Cup Final, a League Cup final and a Champions League final to boot. The talisman also topped the assists charts setting up his team mates as often as he found the back of the net himself. The exclusive group of players that go down in folklore at Manchester United are never disputed and this is probably why Ronaldo rouses so much debate in this field. Many fans feel he treated the club that made him with disrespect by openly pursuing his dream move to Real Madrid in what would turn out to be a world record breaking £80 million fee. Others point to some of his on field antics as a reason he may not be appreciated as much as he should be. Everyone bar opposing defenders enjoys the silky skills of the Portuguese superstar, playing his game with a cocky arrogance which in fact is an undeterred belief and confidence in himself to be the best he can possibly be.

But when things were not going so well United fans were exposed to a different Ronaldo. Diving to win free kicks or going down too easily, arguing with officials, sulking and moaning, choking when he needed his composure the most.His ability is unquestionable but it’s when you throw the likes of Bobby Chalrton, Mark Hughes, Roy Keane or George Best into the mixer that the debate intensifies. An 11 year old United fan would not try to pretend that Eric Cantona or Denis Law are they’re favourite players to have donned their teams colours. So there is a great number that would feel Ronaldo would probably be the best player they have ever seen in United colours.
After much thought the conclusion that only a bitter and stubborn United fan would deny Cristiano Ronaldo legendary status at Manchester United. Maybe through a reluctance to induct new generations of players into that list of past time greats, or an attempt to preserve a very specific nature or style of players that are called legends at a club which has such a prestigious history. “You can argue as much as you like Miles but Ronaldo will never ever be a Man Utd legend!”
This was the scathing and agitated response I got from a mate who happens to be a Manchester United fan through and through. As a modest Charlton Athletic supporter it beggared belief that this thought could be the consensus amongst Reds fans, so here beings the investigation.For a midfielder his scoring record was exceptional and his goals per game ratio eclipses that of any other midfielder let alone right winger to have ever played for Manchester Untied. A prolific dead ball specialist, an accomplished dribbler, a deft finisher from range, a predator in the box and in the air he scored all types of goals and in important matches too. He netted several crucial goals in Premier League matches in three seasons of dominance for the north east team including goals in an FA Cup Final, a League Cup final and a Champions League final to boot. The talisman also topped the assists charts setting up his team mates as often as he found the back of the net himself. The exclusive group of players that go down in folklore at Manchester United are never disputed and this is probably why Ronaldo rouses so much debate in this field. Many fans feel he treated the club that made him with disrespect by openly pursuing his dream move to Real Madrid in what would turn out to be a world record breaking £80 million fee. Others point to some of his on field antics as a reason he may not be appreciated as much as he should be. Everyone bar opposing defenders enjoys the silky skills of the Portuguese superstar, playing his game with a cocky arrogance which in fact is an undeterred belief and confidence in himself to be the best he can possibly be.

 

Ronny back at OT?

Cristiano Ronaldo the ex – Manchester united star could just be heading back to Old Trafford when the Champions League draw is held in Monaco today. Real Madrid – Ron’s new club – are ranked as second seeds in today’s 5pm draw.
And this cloud well lead to a situation where in they could be in the same group as Manchester United or any of the other English clubs.

Liverpool, Chelsea, United and Arsenal are all top eight rated teams with Barcelona, AC Milan, Seville and Bayern Munich. But Madrid have dropped into the second tier after failing to go beyond the second-round for the past five years. That makes them the side everyone wants to avoid after spending a staggering £200million this summer on ex-United star Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso and Karim Benzema. Lyon, Inter, Juventus and Porto are also among the second seeds.
 
Would you like to see the Reds meet Madrid in the group stage? Have your say in our poll

Elsewhere, many of the papers have picked up on ManUtd.com’s exclusive with Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian says he wanted to avenge last season’s Champions League final loss and believes United can go all the way this term.  Source: Man Utd.

Here to Stay : Vidic or will the center forward switch to Barcelona?

Nemanja Vidic  has vowed to prove his commitment to Manchester United with his performances in the coming weeks. However the Serbian’s advisor, Paolo Fabbri, was quoted last week as saying the centre-back would welcome a switch to Barcelona.  Now this sets the alarm bells ringing at Old Trafford as Vidic has become one of Europe’s top defenders since joining three years ago.  Papers have also reported of Vidic’s wife being unhappy at Manchester United!

But Vidic insists he is focused only on United’s title defence. Vidic, 27, said: “I’ve never said anything about Barcelona, or Real Madrid or AC Milan – or any club. I never speak about my future so I don’t know why someone else does. I showed at Wigan on the pitch how happy I am at this club. Any fan of United only has to see how I played to know how committed I am.”
The 5-0 win at Wigan on Saturday was Vidic’s first game back after an ankle injury. After United lost Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. Vidic added: “I don’t want it to have an impact. I’m here and committed. I’ll show that with how I play. It’s not true that my wife is not happy. I don’t know how that rumour came out, she’s not what you’d call a famous wife. She’s never spoken to a newspaper.”
Martin Blackburn, The Sun. Several other papers such as papers, The Daily Mail, The Daily Star, The Express, The Times and The Telegraph carried the same story.

And to add to the speculation tension,  the only other major piece of United news making headlines today is a report in The Mirror claiming Anderson could be on his way out of Old Trafford.

So guys how many more REDS to leave this season?

Source: Man TUD

Author EPL Reporter