Friday, October 26, 2007
Champions League - Group F: United hit four
Manchester United smashed four goals past Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine as they ran out 4-2 winners in Champions League Group F, while Roma snatched a 2-1 home victory over Sporting thanks to a cracking goal by Mirko Vucinic.
Rio Ferdinand opened the scoring for United and Wayne Rooney added a simple second before Diogo Rincon headed Dynamo back into it.
Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice for United either side of half time, the second from the penalty spot, to make sure of the three points. Ismael Bangoura hit a lovely consolation for the home side.
United may have thought they were in for a difficult away tie at the start of the evening. Bangoura threatened in the opening minutes with a pair of chances that gave the Ukrainian fans hope.
That was short-lived however as Ryan Giggs floated a free-kick into the box and Ferdinand nodded home from 12 yards to give the Red Devils the lead.
Dynamo failed to recover from that early blow and Ferdinand and Rooney both got into promising areas before the second goal.
Ronaldo slipped a ball down the line for Wes Brown, who squared for Rooney to finish into an open goal from just outside the six-yard box.
United looked comfortable until the moment, on 34 minutes, when Dinamo pulled a goal back. Rincon met a Carlos Correa corner with his head and Ronaldo's desperate clearance from on the line was not enough to keep it out.
That served to galvanise the home team and, after an immediate shot on goal from Ronaldo saved by Olexandr Shovkovsky, they pressed hard. Edwin van der Sar had to be on his toes to prevent them from grabbing an equaliser.
Before the half though United were again two goals to the good when Giggs crossed and Ronaldo headed expertly inside the post.
In the second half Oleh Gusev saw a shot flash past the upright for Dynamo before Anderson hit a Rooney cross against the post. Carlos Tevez led United's threatening counter-attacks while Correa's free-kick was narrowly wide for Kiev.
Artyom Milevsky looked for a penalty as he tussled with Nemanja Vidic - but it was Sir Alex Ferguson's men who were awarded a spot-kick when Goran Gavrancic handled Tevez's cross just inside the corner of the box.
Ronaldo made no mistake and United cruised to the win, a period only affected slightly by the elegant strike by Guinean Bangoura from 25 yards.
Ferguson will be worried by an injury that forced Holland 'keeper Van der Sar off, if satisfied with the short period of work by his replacement Tomasz Kuszczak.
Roma 2-1 Sporting
Roma scraped past their Portuguese opponents in Rome despite taking the lead after 15 minutes through a header by Juan from a David Pizarro corner.
Liedson equalised little over three minutes later when he headed home an Abel centre from the right. Sporting were in no mood to give in to the Serie A runners-up and fought for a point.
Their hopes were increased further when Roman talisman Francesco Totti limped off. However it was not to be.
Totti's replacement Vucinic first won a penalty kick when he battled to the by-line as Sporting's players left the ball to run out for a goal kick, subsequently missed by Mancini as Tiago tipped the ball onto the post.
On 69 minutes though Vucinic again managed to keep a ball in play, this time on the left, and cut inside to hook it into the far top corner despite the attentions of several defenders.
The Montenegrin was booked for flailing his shirt around, but he will not be upset by that - his goal puts Roma second in the group behind Man United.
manchesterunited
10/26/2007 08:46:00 PM
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Amukan Arsenal, United
RIO Ferdinand (kanan) menanduk bola ke gawang Dynamo Kiev dalam saingan bola sepak Liga Juara-Juara di Ukraine, semalam. Manchester United menang 4-2. – AP.
PARIS - Manchester United dan Arsenal kian hampir ke pusingan kalah mati bola sepak Liga Juara-Juara Eropah selepas mengekalkan rekod sempurna di peringkat kumpulan, semalam.
United mencatat kemenangan memberangsangkan dengan mengalahkan Dynamo Kiev 4-2 di Ukraine dalam perlawanan Kumpulan F.
Skuad muda Arsenal pula melakar kemenangan besar di gelanggang sendiri dengan membelasah kelab Czech, Slavia Prague 7-0.
United bermula baik apabila membuka jaringan pada minit ke-10 menerusi tandukan kencang Rio Ferdinand, gol kedua berturut-turut buat tonggak pertahanan itu dalam dua saingan Eropah.
Penyerang England, Wayne Rooney pula memastikan mereka berada di landasan yang betul apabila menjaringkan gol kedua pada minit ke-18, gol ketujuhnya daripada enam perlawanan terakhir.
Selepas mendahului 2-0, United mengawal permainan sepenuhnya, namun tuan rumah berjaya juga mencari peluang untuk merapatkan kedudukan apabila Diogo Rincon menanduk masuk tendangan sudut yang diambil Carlos Correa untuk kedudukan 2-1 pada minit ke-34.
Meskipun tersentak dengan jaringan tersebut, United tidak panik, sebaliknya berjaya melebarkan kedudukan 3-1 sebelum menutup babak pertama, menerusi Cristiano Ronaldo pada minit ke-41.
Separuh masa kedua lebih seimbang dengan pasukan tuan rumah cuba mengawal permainan. Malangnya, United sekali lagi menerusi Ronaldo yang menyempurnakan sepakan penalti selepas bola terkena tangan pertahanan Kiev dalam kotak penalti.
Ismael Bangoura berjaya merapatkan kedudukan 4-2 ketika permainan berbaki 11 minit, begitu pun ia tidak banyak mengubah keadaan, biar pun Kiev mengatur serangan bertali arus sekitar 10 minit terakhir.
Dalam satu lagi perlawanan Kumpulan F, wakil Itali, Roma mengalahkan kelab Portugal, Sporting 2-1 dengan membuka jaringan menerusi Juan pada minit ke-15.
Sporting hanya memerlukan tiga minit kemudian untuk menyamakan kedudukan menerusi sepakan Liedson, namun Mirko Vucinic memastikan kemenangan Roma menerusi jaringan minit ke-69.
Ini bermakna, United kini hanya memerlukan empat mata daripada tiga perlawanan terakhir mereka untuk meneruskan kemaraan ke pusingan kedua.
Di London, Arsenal mengharungi 60 perlawanan yang menarik dengan berpesta gol dan semuanya bermula daripada jaringan pemain muda Belanda, Cesc Fabregas seawal minit kelima.
Pemain tengah Belarus, Alexander Hleb menyumbat gol kedua Arsenal pada minit ke-24, sebelum pemain remaja, Theo Walcott memberi kedudukan yang selesa 3-0, ketika separuh masa pertama tinggal empat minit.
Slavia Prague boleh melupakan hasrat untuk bangkit pada babak kedua apabila tuan rumah terus mengatur serangan agresif sebaik permainan disambung.
Hleb, Fabregas dan Walctott masing-masing menjaringkan gol kedua mereka pada minit ke-51, 55 dan 58 untuk melebarkan kedudukan kepada 6-0, sebelum penyerang Denmark, Nicklas Brendtner melengkapkan pesta gol Arsenal ketika saingan tinggal seminit untuk ditamatkan dengan menyumbat gol ketujuh.
Dalam satu lagi perlawanan Kumpulan H, kelab Sepanyol, Sevilla menundukkan wakil Romania, Steaua Bucharest 2-1 untuk melonjak ke tangga kedua, tiga mata di belakang Arsenal.
Kedua-dua gol Sevilla dijaringkan oleh Frederic Kanoute dan Luis Fabiano manakala gol tunggal Steaua disempurnakan Ovidiu Petre.
Kumpulan G pula menyaksikan pendahulu liga Itali, Inter Milan merampas kedudukan pendahulu selepas bangkit dari ketinggalan untuk menewaskan wakil Rusia, CSKA Moscow 2-1.
Dalam Kumpulan E, bekas juara Eropah, Barcelona sekadar seri tanpa jaringan dengan kelab Scotland, Rangers, meninggalkan kedua-dua pasukan menamatkan tiga perlawanan dengan tujuh mata.
manchesterunited
10/24/2007 02:08:00 AM
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Ferguson paling gembira
KIEV, Ukraine – Bos Manchester United, Alex Ferguson adalah orang yang paling gembira selepas anak- anak buahnya menyingkirkan Dynamo Kiev 4-2 dalam saingan bola sepak Liga Juara-Juara di gelanggang lawan, kelmarin.
Bintang tengah, Cristiano Ronaldo menyumbat dua gol sekaligus meletakkan pasukannya tanpa kalah setakat ini.
United yang diletakkan dalam Kumpulan F mencatat kemenangan dalam tiga perlawanan sebelum ini manakala peluang Kiev pula semakin kabur untuk layak ke pusingan kalah mati.
‘‘Dengan kembalinya Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs dan Tevez, kami kelihatan begitu kuat dan lihatlah serangan demi serangan yang dilakukan oleh mereka.
‘‘Tidak seperti sebelum ini apabila permainan United sedikit pincang gara-gara ketiadaan Ronaldo yang digantung perlawanan, kecederaan Rooney manakala Tevez dan Anderson terlibat dalam saingan Copa America.
‘‘Kami kehilangan Scholes tetapi Joh O’Shea dan Darren Fletcher masuk dan cepat menyesuaikan diri. Kedua-duanya berpengalaman dan tahu apa maknanya apabila menyarung jersi United.
‘‘Anderson dan Tevez juga cepat menyesuaikan diri dengan corak bola sepak England,’’ katanya.
– AFP
manchesterunited
10/24/2007 02:05:00 AM
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Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Premier League - Giggs pens United extension
The 33-year-old's old deal was due to expire at the end of the current season, but United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced the veteran can continue to perform at the highest level for at least another year.
Ferguson told the club's official website: "I am absolutely delighted that Ryan has signed for a further season. Ryan Giggs epitomises the word loyalty, he signed here as a 14-year-old school boy and is still with the club 20 years on.
"Apart from his playing ability he has a fantastic demeanour and is a great role model to the younger players. I am sure he will be at the club for a long time to come."
The new deal will aid Giggs in his bid to overtake Sir Bobby Charlton as United's all time leading appearance-maker - the winger is currently just 32 games away from equalling Charlton's record of 759.
Giggs said: "I am delighted to have signed for a further season. I am enjoying football more than ever and I hope to carry on playing football for Manchester United for as long as I can.
"I would like to thank Sir Alex, the fans and everyone at the club for the great support I have received over the years."
Giggs is one of the most decorated players still in the game, and his trophy haul includes an incredible nine Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and a European Cup.
manchesterunited
10/17/2007 03:49:00 PM
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Status : married with two daughter