The White House Falls, United & Gunners Brush Opponents Aside
March 12th 2010 17:49
Cristiano Who?
So much for Real Madrid winning the Champions League at home... Having spent hundreds of millions recruiting big-name players, Florentino Perez could only watch, helpless, as the merengues crashed out of the Champions League in the first knockout stage for the sixth consecutive year. Meanwhile in England, Arsenal and Manchester United cruised past their opponents winning 5-0 and 4-0 respectively. Nicklas Bendtner – of all people – got an hat trick for the Gunners while United showed once again that the whole is greater than its part – a lesson that Madrid hasn't quite learned yet.
Let's compare the two games, shall we? When Higuain missed an open during the first half, you just knew that it was going to be a whole new ballgame from that point on. After a dominating first half marked by dazzling passes and great moves, Madrid started the second half looking afraid to get their noses dirty as if they had a God-given right to win the game and Lyon simply had to step aside. But Lyon learned their lesson last year against Barcelona and a swift tactical change in the second half complicated Madrid's task even further.
After scoring the equalizer in the 75th minute, the French stood their ground, clogging up the space around the box and never surrendering an inch. All of the sudden, Madrid's sublime passing was inexistent as every ball seemed to hit a toe or a body instead of reaching the appropriate target. Frustration quickly set in among the Galacticos. Kaka – a saint in the eyes of many – looked truly unhappy to be substituted despite having a forgettable game, Guti and Higuain both disappeared in the second half, and Ronaldo looked like the whining diva who wanted to do it all by himself against Barcelona in last year's final. The difference this time is that no one was willing to give him the ball – the consequence of too many stars on one team: each one thinks their way is the best. Raul's entrance was too little too late and you have to wonder what Pellegrini was thinking when he put the other Diarra in the game.
At Old Trafford, the scene was much different. Forced to changed his formation after Carrick's yellow card in the first leg, Sir Alex Ferguson made his team even better. With Nani and Valencia on the wings, Milan's fullbacks had to be careful to not push up as much as they had done in the previous game. In the middle, Park and Fletcher kept the motor running while Scholes became the link between attack and defense. Like Milan at the San Siro, United struck early on their home turf when Gary Neville delivered a great cross to Wayne Rooney who scored another header – his third in this confrontation. It was Neville's only potent cross of the night and by God, was it an important one. The Red Devils kept the pressure on Milan's midfield but Pirlo's surgical passing made my heart skip a beat every time the ball got past United's backline. Thankfully, Van der Sar was always and stopped both Huntelaar and Borriello from shooting at close range.
The home team struck again early in the second half – again via Rooney – thanks to a superb pass by Nani and as the ball slowly rolled towards the goal line, you could see Milan sagging just a bit. When Park made it 3-0 after Scholes' brilliant shot-feint pass, it was game over for the rossoneri. In a losing cause, Leonardo gave Beckham the opportunity to step on that field once again after a seven-year absence. It was a great moment to see Becks get a standing ovation when he stepped on the pitch (only to be booed at his first touch of the ball). Fletcher concluded this magical night with a fourth goal for United, putting the aggregate score at 7-2.
Although Rooney was instrumental in that win, what stood out for me in that game was United's teamwork. From Valencia's slide tackle on Ronaldinho inside his own box (which should've been a defender's job) to Rooney running back to cover Valencia when the latter fell behind Abbiati's goal line, the players were all pulling in the same direction. Of course, Milan greatly suffered from Pato's absence but on a night where both Kaka and Ronaldinho were invisible, Lyon and United showed them how the game should be played.
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