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Champions League Q/F 1st Leg
Stadio Olimpico, Tue 1 April

AS ROMA 0

MANCHESTER UNITED 2
Ronaldo 39, Rooney 66

United delivered the model European away performance in Rome on Tuesday– strong in possession, resilient during the inevitable Roma backlash, and ruthlessly scoring two away goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney did the damage, presenting the Reds with a glorious opportunity to make the Champions League semi finals later this month. But, take note, the job is only half done. Roma weren’t without their chances, and they will come to Old Trafford in a week’s time knowing they’re up against it, but not out of it.

This wasn’t the all-out attacking United of Saturday’s 4-0 thumping of Aston Villa, but it was the kind of performance Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have sometimes lacked away from home in Europe in recent years.

The United boss made a few changes from Saturday’s win. He was able to select Michael Carrick despite the midfielder sitting out training in Rome the night before. There was a recall for Ji-sung Park (his first European start this season) in place of Ryan Giggs, and Carlos Tevez settled for a place on the bench as Anderson made up a three-man central midfield alongside Carrick and Paul Scholes.

Luciano Spalletti, Roma’s coach, said that his players would not just stand and admire a team he regards as “the best in the world”. Their 7-1 defeat at this stage last year is clearly a wound that has not yet healed. So much so that Spalletti threatened not to present Sir Alex with a bottle of his favourite Tuscan wine after the game – “no more gifts, on or off the pitch,” he said, half jokingly.

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Champions League quarter-final draw:
1 Arsenal v Liverpool
2 AS Roma v Man Utd
3 Schalke 04 v FC Barcelona
4 Fenerbahce v Chelsea

Champions League semi-final draw:
1 Arsenal/Liverpool v Fenerbahce/Chelsea
2 Schalke/Barcelona v AS Roma/Man Utd

This is quite a tough draw for United. I always hope United could face other Premier League team because it will make it easier for United to become a Champion of Europe again! Hahaha..

No Roma player will forget what happen last season when they has been humiliated 7-1 at Old Trafford after leading 2-1 at Rome. That result will always haunted them until they managed to defeat United again.

When Roma has been drawn at the same group with United this season, they looked for a revenge..but..yeah…they loose again…and again…

Do you think facing United again for a revenge is really what Roma want?? I don’t think so.. they know that they can never defeat United. Their confident must be very low when facing United again because…. they know… United was too good for them!!

So, how about others match???

These were my prediction..

Arsenal will advance to semi final and facing Fenerbahce. They will defeat Fenerbahce and….do you know which team that they gonna face in the final???

Manchester United for sure!!

Manchester United are in the quarter finals courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 30th goal of the season but, if they have genuine aspirations of winning the European Cup again, there might have to be a discernible improvement in the next phase of the competition.

Ferguson was not too harsh on his players because, on the whole, it was an evening of rich satisfaction, with United equalling a Champions League record, set by Juventus in 1997, with a 10th successive win on their own ground. Yet the manager had a valid point. Old Trafford is a seductive place under floodlights and these occasions tend to bring out the best in his men but this was a peculiar performance featuring some exhilarating attacking football but also pockets of action when the players in red - Ronaldo included - looked strangely out of sorts.

In those moments the stadium reverberated to the sound of heavy groans as passes were misplaced and usually reliable individuals such as the Portuguese and Wayne Rooney were guilty of making poor decisions in dangerous areas.

Instead it was another night when Ronaldo demonstrated his ability not just to decorate games but to have a decisive impact. Two more goals and he will equal George Best’s total of 32 from the 1967-68 season, a record for a United winger, and when he was substituted in stoppage time the crowd have him a standing ovation.

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