United, Barcelona close in on semis
Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring a goal during the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal football match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in London, Wednesday. United won 1-0. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
PARIS - A composed Wayne Rooney netted a potentially priceless goal as Manchester United earned a 1-0 Champions League quarterfinal, first-leg victory at Chelsea, while Barcelona hammered Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 in Spain.
Rooney had come under fire- and earned a two-match ban, along with front-page headlines - for a foul-mouthed tirade at television cameras after scoring a hat-trick in his side’s 4-2 win over West Ham last week.
After firing home decisively at Stamford Bridge, the England forward resisted any temptation to scream out his feelings as he raced towards the cameras behind the goal after sweeping home Ryan Giggs’ low cross in the 24th minute.
Manager Alex Ferguson and defender Rio Ferdinand saluted Rooney, with the England defender telling ITV sport: “He’s a top quality player - he showed flashes of brilliance.”
For Ferguson, Rooney “was important on the counterattack and he was in tremendous form and he has given us a great chance of reaching the semi.”
He added: “It’s still in the balance [but] it’s good result for us. That away goal does mean something.”
Tuesday’s fireworks comprising Real Madrid’s four-goal salvo against the other English survivors, Tottenham, and Schalke’s 5-2 demolition of holders Inter Milan in the San Siro had set the entertainment bar sky-high.
Although the goal count in London was lower, the full-blooded nature of the encounter kept the fans on the edge of their seats as both sides set about their business with gusto.
United, which saw off Chelsea in a penalty shootout in the 2008 final, gambled on the fitness of England veteran Ferdinand following more than two months struggling with a calf injury and his experience was a boon in a tense affair.
Rooney’s strike gave United its first win at Chelsea in nearly a decade and the three-time European champions are now clear favorites to advance to a likely semifinal against Schalke.
Chelsea came agonisingly close to leveling moments before the break when Didier Drogba crossed into the danger zone only for misfiring Fernando Torres to fail to get a touch, the ball bouncing on to clip Edwin Van der Sar’s far post.
Frank Lampard half-connected with the rebound but United’s French fullback Patrice Evra was alert to the danger, clearing off the line.
Chelsea went out to Jose Mourinho’s eventual champions Inter Milan last season in the last 16 while United exited in the quarters to Bayern Munich.
This time, Ferguson had underlined the importance of the away goal - and Javier Hernandez could have even made it 2-0 three minutes before the interval but United’s Mexican ‘little pea’ just failed to get his head to Rooney’s cross.
Chelsea had won three straight jousts with United, including last month’s stormy 2-1 league defeat that led to Ferguson receiving a five-match touchline ban.
The arrival of Nicolas Anelka - for Drogba - almost sparked a Chelsea revival as the French veteran teed up Torres but van der Sar made a fine stop from the Spaniard’s header.
After Chelsea was denied a clear penalty - when United defender Patrice Evra clashed with Ramires in the box - Torres earned a late booking after going to ground under a challenge from Valencia and complaining vociferously.
In the Nou Camp, Barcelona turned the screw early against Shakhtar Donetsk as Andres Iniesta opened the scoring after just two minutes from close range.
Iniesta then clipped a neat ball into the box for the marauding Dani Alves to collect and stroll past keeper Andriy Pyatov before firing home for 2-0, 11 minutes before the interval.
At the other end Luiz Adriano wasted a fine chance to level when he blasted wide after 10 minutes. But Barca survived that scare and was in cruise control once former United centre half Gerard Pique made it 3-0 soon after the restart.
Yaroslav Ratkitskiy bundled in for the visitors before Seydou Keita smashed home Barca’s fourth and Xavi completed the rout in the 86th minute. The only downside for Barca came when Iniesta earned a yellow card, which means he will miss the second leg.
AFP
한글 관련 기사 [경향신문]
루니 결승골, 맨유 챔스 8강 1차전서 첼시에 승리
박지성이 풀타임으로 활약한 잉글랜드 맨체스터 유나이티드가 난적 첼시를 꺾고 챔피언스리그 4강 진출의 청신호를 밝혔다. 맨유는 7일 영국 런던 스탬퍼드 브리지 스타디움에서 열린 2010~2011 유럽축구연맹(UEFA) 챔피언스리그 8강 1차전 첼시와의 원정경기에서 전반 24분 터진 웨인 루니의 결승골을 끝까지 지켜 1-0 승리를 거뒀다.
지난해 8강에서 당시 준우승팀 바이에른 뮌헨(독일)에 막혀 4강진출이 좌절됐던 맨유는 원정에서 귀중한 승리를 챙기며 오는 13일 홈에서 열리는 2차전에서 비기기만 해도 4강에 오른다.
또한 맨유는 2002년 이후 첼시와의 원정에서 한번도 이기지 못한 징크스도 털어내며 통산 네번째 챔피언스리그 우승을 향한 진군을 계속했다.
박지성은 이날 공격보다는 수비에 치중하며 상대 공격수 디디에 드로그바와 페르난도 토레스의 움직임을 막는데 집중했다.
맨유는 루니가 전반 24분 긱스의 페널티지역 왼쪽 크로스를 골대정면에서 오른발로 밀어넣어 결승골을 뽑았다. 맨유는 첼시의 파상공세를 판데르 사르 골키퍼의 선방으로 넘겼다.
한편 같은 시각 스페인 바르셀로나에서 열린 FC바르셀로나(스페인)와 샤흐타르 도네츠크(우크라이나)의 경기는 바르셀로나가 이니에스타, 아우베스, 피케 등의 연속골로 5-1 대승을 거뒀다.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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