Champions League - Ronaldo guides United past Porto



A stunning long-range strike from Cristiano Ronaldo sent Manchester United into the Champions League semi-finals with a 1-0 win at Porto.

The Portuguese powered home a spectacular drive in the sixth minute as the holders secured a tense 3-2 aggregate victory.

United became the first British side to win at the Estadio do Dragao in 23 attempts over 41 years, and their reward is an all-Premier League semi-final against Arsenal.

After a month of shambolic defending and uncertainty, this was the solid, secure United that earlier this season set a record number of consecutive Premier League clean sheets.

Rio Ferdinand must take much credit for this on his return from a groin injury. While he did not have an outstanding game individually, his constant communication appeared to imbue his colleagues with improved positional sense and confidence.

Nemanja Vidic, in particular, looked much improved from his poor displays against Liverpool, Sunderland and the first leg against Porto.

Porto fielded the same starting 11 that performed so admirably at Old Trafford a week earlier, but were without their charismatic coach Jesualdo Ferreira, who served a touchline ban.

The punishment was the result of a misguided appeal against a sanction from earlier in the competition, and Ferreira opted not even to turn up to the stadium, leaving his assistant Jose Gomez to his own devices.

United failed to control the first leg, allowing Porto to snatch a late 2-2 draw, but grabbed the return fixture by the scruff of the neck. Or rather, Ronaldo did.

The winger has been widely criticised for performing below his best this season, but for all the carping he remains a fairly useful player - if not the world's best, then certainly still in the top 10.

He has 20 goals to his name this campaign and has lost none of his sense of occasion.

After five minutes of barracking from the Porto fans - a product of his former association with rivals Sporting Lisbon - Ronaldo unleashed a firecracker from nearly 40 yards that whooshed past Helton into the top-left corner.

Take that, naysayers.

In an instant, all the angst about Mariano Gonzalez's late equaliser in the first leg disappeared.

United had regained the aggregate advantage and could once again lead from the front. Although Porto improved as the half went on, they were reduced to half-chances - the best of these came to Bruno Alves who beat Vidic in the air but sent his header just wide.

United fans held their breath when Wayne Rooney pulled up pain on 37 minutes after a challenge from Rolando.

The England striker has had a tough history against Portuguese opponents. He suffered a broken metatarsal against Portugal at Euro 2004, then another following a Paulo Ferreira tackle versus Chelsea in 2006. Then he was sent off - after an intervention from Ronaldo - for a stamp at that year's World Cup, again against Portugal.

While United could have been forgiven for fearing the worst, the 23-year-old hobbled around briefly before shaking the injury off.

Porto created little in the second half, but the knowledge that a single home goal would send the holders out meant jitters crept in.

United have not forgotten the late Costinha goal that allowed Jose Mourinho's Porto to topple them in 2004, and the failure to add more breathing space made for a tense finale.

Edwin van der Sar's horribly bobbled clearance on 82 minutes typified the anxiety, yet in truth he had little to do except make some routine saves from Hulk and Lisandro Lopez.

After the pyrotechnics at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, this was much more like the tense, tight Champions League we know.

But United know what it takes to win and did just enough to set up an all-English semi-final.

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