FT. 0-1 for Manu. Ronaldo scored and we take 3 points with us to OT. Good notes for today: VDS, MVP (2 brilliant saves) and Rooney played 71 minutes, getting more and more in the game as the match went on. And maybe most important of all, next to the 3 points, was that we didn’t really have to burn energy and with Ronaldo’s first ManU goal of the season, the confidence now certainly will grow and everything looks like Jose might have preferred not to travel to OT on Sunday. I bet tomorrow the’ll start whining already about all the injuries, low quality of the other players aso.
Wait, that’s what he has been doing last 3 weeks already.
I’m out here, see ya tomorrow… and Sunday, LIVE REPORTING again!
Sporting trying to push but hardly creates any danger. VDS down. 30 seconds now.
2 minutes over time.
Last minute official time.
Ninja touched the ball!!! Saha wasted the chance.
86′ Ronaldo out for Tevez, home crowd cheers!
Still slight ManU pressure. 5 minutes to go.
Sporting center, easy catch for VDS.
83′ Ronaldo now really bending the game. Center to Saha and wide.Ronaldo, cutting and shoots with 2 men around him. Rather smooth shot and easy catch tho
Saha, almost reached Nani!
Fandel, the German is starting to behave weirdly. Hope that all goes right!
Yellow for VDS for time wasting??? Whisky Tango Foxtrot!
Again Stoijkovic clears. Fast change but Ferdinand blocks and there we go again. Saha straight on Stoijkovic.
Saha obtains a corner.
78′ Awesome save by VDS! We gotta concentrate now and try to play the ball round again.
76′ Giggs Giggs replaced by Anderson.VDS catches another second line shot.
71′ Rooney replaced by Saha. Those 71 minutes really helped his condition today. Saha… next question.
Nice, deflected shot of Nani, saved.
70′ Roon tries from outside the box, but way too high. It’s has always been clear he can continue his career in Super League if one day he decides to hang up his football shoes.
I like how we are starting to really control the game, still allowing Sporting to burn the energy. Close defending, close play on the ball and Sporting doesn’t play the ball round too fast either.
68′ Scholes came away well there. Not too clean tackle, ball gone long time already, but he only went in with the knee and not with two feet this time.
Arsenal leads 2-0 against Sevilla.
Is this te goal of confidence we need? I certainly hope it is.
Sporting struggling now to clear the ball. ManU game starting to roll.
62′ Sporting 0 – Manchester United 1!
Christinao Ronaldo great diving header!
Nani – Rooney – Ronnie – Carrick – Scholes – Brown RONALDO!!!!!!!
Rooney showing why we love him. Fighting for every ball, chasing the defenders. And that after almost 6 weeks on the side lines.
Wide. Nice try, good for statistics, otherwise useless. VDS free kick.
60′ Brown foul. 35 yards free kick.
Brown – still Brown, tried to change sides with deep cross to Nani, but too far.
Ronnie cross and suddenly Giggs surged in the air, in the box, only inches high and Ryan couldn’t control his header.
57′ Deep pass to Rooney, just a little sharp.
The game starts to take pace now. Many tackles, quick changes of side. First change for Sporting.
Sporting moving forward since 2 minutes now, defense solid as usual.
Nani – Carrick … Evra cross, Rooney tries the circus acrobat gig and totally misses his move and the ball.
We play closer on the ball now, still without really controlling, but Sporting fouls more now.
47′ Sporting has decided to push everyone of the ball instead of giving Nani or Giggs the chance to dribble. Semi pressure of us now.
Fergie said he’d love to see more penetration in the second half. Then again, how would you think being player with Sunday’s game against Chelsea already in the head? Econo mode?
46′ Second half. ManU kick off.
HT now. We saw some Sporting hots and a great save by VDS. The Red in me would want it to get loud now in the dressing room, the smarter boy tells me, one point away in Europe. No bad deal. Unless of course you play Rosenborg. See ya in 15′.
45 Minutes almost over. Sporting clearly dominated the first half, but less because they are that great today, more because ManU plays rather organized than really fights to control the game.
Game now quickly changes sides, but all in no real danger on any side.
And Romagnoli tries again. VDS flat again and clean save.
41′ Scholes – Giggs center. Rooney slightly offside.
Straight on VDS.
Sporting again. Unnecessary tackle by Nani. yellow. 30 Yards?
Ronnie – Roon counter? Blocked shot of Roonet, but cleared.
Can’t believe those numbers: nevertheless we still had 48% possession so far.
35′ Free kick for VDS. We can do with one of those and move the game some towards the other half.
One man today we are clearly missing is Owen, we could have done with his ‘bite’ in the midfield, because no one really attacks the Lisbon players in the midfield.
Vidic clear a center from Abel, but we needed a really bad Abel cross to reorganize here.
30′ Giggs, Rooney but too deep the 1-2 .
Sporting pressure again. What a save by VDS!That kick was a marvelous curve and what a stretch!
26′ Another try from Lisbon. Looks like VDS better stay alert today.
Vidic just under the ball. Counter by Lisbon, but Giggs is quick and intervenes even before the defense had to move.
And while I said this, Ronnie shot from outside of the box, obtaining our second corner.
I have to admit, I might sometimes be a little too passionate for this kind of reporting. Today I wonder how I’ll survive the game without throwing my notebook through the room if we continue ‘playing’ like this. Luckily Lisbon don’t seem that dangerous either.
22′ Another shot on goal by Lisbon, this time VDS has to go down. Very clean capture.
21′ Sporting pressure, ending with Vidic getting a foul against him.
We’re playing 4-5-1, how come we can’t put any pressure on Sporting yet?
17′ Third shot on goal so far for Sporting, never really dangerous tho and another easy catch for VDS.
I would say Sporting controls the midfield, but right at the moment I rather tend to ask ‘Where’s our midfield’?
Haven’t seen Carrick or Nani or Giggs yet.
Rooney in the box. Sporting intercepts and wins the following battle for the ball. But Romanogli dives and gets a yellow card.
Giggs takes, no real danger. And Sporting has the ball again.
14′ Scholes deep on Rooney. No offside. Roon wins the corner.
13′ Deep pass into the box, Brown smartly covers and Sporting tries to claim, but nada.
Ronaldo – Nani – Brown… cross. goalie before Giggs.
Ferdinand intercepts almost 1-2 on the edge of the box, snapshot. Miles over, free kick for VDS.
First minutes really go to Sporting, they are much more aggressive on the ball and don’t give our midfield the chance to start controlling the game.
8′. Bad center from Sporting, easy catch for VDS.
Ronaldo behind the ball. Miles over.
6. Evra to Roon to Ronnie. Cross Brown, cleared. Scholes. Scholes obtains first free kick. Around 25 yards.
Very unspectacular first minutes, slight overhand for Sporting. Shot straight on EVDS.
4′. First chance, deflected shot, and following corner for Sporting.
Playing today: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Carrick, Scholes, Nani, Giggs, Ronaldo, Rooney. Subs: Kuszczak, Anderson, Saha, Pique, Evans, Tevez, Eagles.
Yes, tRooney immediately starting the game.
Unannounced, but another live report. Today our first Champions League game this season, away against Sporting Lisbon, former club of Ronaldo, Nani and Queiroz.