We expected Manchester United to win today, but 4-0 was an upset by anyone’s standards. Rooney, Fletcher, and Park made the score sheet, thanks to brilliant supporting play from every square inch of the field.
Rooney (now with 30 goals in all competition this season) was being compared to United great Dennis Law today. The truth is that he was simply being his own legendary self.
Manchester United vs AC Milan
Uploaded by grenndallos. – Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
By Jake Glavies
David Beckham’s first match against former club Manchester United was a bit anticlimactic thanks in large part to the stellar play of striker Wayne Rooney.
Playing at the San Siro in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 Tuesday, Rooney was nothing short of magnificent while netting two late goals in just eight minutes to give United a 3-2 victory over Beckham and AC Milan. The first goal came in the 66th minute when Rooney headed home a cross from substitute Antonio Valencia; he used his head again for his second score, knocking in a pass from Darren Fletcher. The scores were Rooney’s first European goals of a year, which give him a total of 25 for the season.
Milan got on the board first when Ronaldinho scored in the third minute off a Beckham free kick. Paul Scholes made it a 1-1 match with a goal in the 36th minute. After the break it was all Rooney until Milan’s Clarence Seedorf drew the Rossoneri to within one, hitting the back of the net at the 85-minute mark.
AC Milan v Manchester United
Uploaded by peerzoner. – Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
In other Champions League action, Lyon stunned red-hot Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their showdown. Jean Makoun netted the match’s lone goal when he scored on a rocket shot from 25-yards out. Madrid dominated every facet of the match except the scoreboard. The squad had six shots on goal compared to four for Lyon; it also attempted three more corners and held the ball for 66 percent of the match.
The closest Madrid got to lighting up the scoreboard came in the first half when Gonzalo Higuaín received a quality pass from Cristiano Ronaldo but couldn’t manage to get past defender Jean-Alain Boumsong. In the second half, Ronaldo tried his best from 25-yards away but was rejected by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Olympique Lyon v Real Madrid
Uploaded by peerzoner. – Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.
Heading into the match, the return of former Lyon star Karim Benzema dominated headlines. Benzema entered the match in the 64th minute as a substitute for Higuaín and had little to show leading up to the final whistle.
Despite allowing an away goal, Madrid’s statistical dominance Tuesday will give it an advantage when Lyon travels to the Bernabeu March 10. United will take its distinct goal advantage home to Old Trafford when it faces Milan again the same day.
Milan was INCREDIBLE against Udinese yesterday.
Beckham, whose game has actually gotten better since arriving in Milan, complemented Ronaldinho at midfield to make for some of the most beautiful plays we’ve seen all year in the Serie A.
The final result was 3-2 in Milan’s favor.
Milan has a chance of catching up with Inter, but I think everyone is more interested to see what happens in the Champions League. Can Milan out-scrap/out-shine/out-play Manchester United? It’s a tough call. Let us know what you think.
By Jake Glavies
Italian football is proving to be a one-horse race this season and it’s Inter Milan out in front galloping down the home stretch. Inter has been unstoppable over the past two months, compiling a 5-0-2 record since it’s last loss Dec. 5 to Juventus; the squad has also recorded 14 goals in the span. The most impressive victory of the stretch came Sunday in a 3-0 win over Cagliari.
Forward Alberto Diego Milito has been at the head of the charge as of late, accounting for six scores over the span. Samuel Eto’o, one of the game’s most feared strikers, has added eight league goals on the year with 12 scores in all competitions.
And the squad is only getting stronger. After a lengthy layoff, Macedonian forward Goran Pandev is beginning to hit his stride. Finding the back of the net in three straight league matches, Pandev gives Inter one of the most scoring minded front lines in all of Serie A. Coach Jose Mourinho will look to the trio to avenge the squad’s first defeat of the season, a 1-0 loss at Sampdoria, when the Nerazzurri travel to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris Feb. 20.
Just two weeks ago, Inter further demonstrated its dominance, trouncing second place AS Roma 2-0 at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. With an eight point lead over Roma and the season more than half over, it would take a disastrous turn of events for Inter not to claim a fifth straight league title.
As for Roma, a slim 1-0 win over Fiorentina Sunday gave Claudio Ranieri’s club a leg up on third place AC Milan, who has failed to find the win column in its last four matches – most recently drawing 0-0 at Bologna.
Upcoming matches against Napoli, Palermo and Roma, will certainly put Inter to the test. Beyond his front line, Mourinho will look to goalkeeper Julio Cesar to keep a long list of talented scorers from stealing a victory. Facing the likes of Francesco Totti, Edison Cavani and Marek Hamsik, Cesar will be key if Inter is to win a fifth straight league crown.
With 2 men down, Inter relied on the striking abilities of Pandev and Milito to earn a 2-0 victory over chart climbing rivals AC Milan.
The handsome devil is back! Serie A haters beware. Gaucho has given italian football a pulse. Thank GOD!!!
photo credit: Getty Images
Here’s yesterday’s match between AC Milan and Juventus. Beckham has officially hit the ground running for Milan. He lagged a bit at the start of the second half, but his contributions were critical to the the 3-0 victory.
Meanwhile, Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara’s future at the club has come into question. With all of the talent on their squad, you have to question his leadership. Thoughts?
David Beckham played a critical role in Milan’s 5-2 romping over Genoa on Wednesday. The English midfielder started in Pirlo’s place and earned a standing ovation from supporters when he subbed out in the second half.
Conspiracy Theory: Beckham has returned to AC Milan for special treatment in the club’s “LAB” which is rumored to possess the secrets of eternal youth. Well, close enough. Unless you are Ryan Giggs, there is no place like Milan for middle aged footballers.
photo credit: AFP
We’ve got huge games to look forward to this weekend.
Tomorrow’s big fixture will be the Club World Cup final featuring FC Barcelona and Argentina’s own Estudiantes de la Plata. Barça are the favored side, though Estudiantes are sure to put up a serious fight. More importantly, any statistician will tell you that NO game can be won or lost before it is actually played. Lucky for us.
Milan face Fiorentina. These two Champions League survivors are fighting for advancement on the league charts.
Chelsea square off against West Ham in a roudy London derby. Man United will host Dempesey and Zamora as Fulham work to establish a comeback in the premiership. Jozy Altidore’s Hull City are playing a newly confident Arsenal, and Man City play host to Sunderland. Oh, and Liverpool have Portsmouth (no telling where that one will go).
Follow us on twitter if you don’t have access to FSC or ESPND. www.twitter.com/onelovefc
photo credit: www.totalbarca.com
Here are the Round of 16 matchups.
First off, Beckham will have his visit at Old Trafford for the first time since departing in 2003. Patrice Evra has assured the press that Beckham will receive a hero’s welcome, but we’ll believe it when we see it.
Barça lucked out with VfB Stuttgart. The German squad is incredibly good, but there are (maybe) three teams capable of beating the Blaugrana in this tournament, and Stuttgart is not one of them.
Barça will almost certainly make the final. The question is, who with?
The January transfer window will shake things up across the board. A few small adjustments at Arsenal could see this faltering team through to the final. Real Madrid are at full capacity with talent, but a couple of months in training could help smooth out their imperfections. With Ribery back in the lineup, Bayern Munich may prove to be a threat. Chelsea and Man United are either fire hot or luke warm, depending on the day. And then there is Inter. Based on the Barca/Inter matchup (Barca won decisively without Messi or Ibra) from the previous UCL round, we’re thinking that Inter will not be winning the trophy in May, but they can never been written off. Finally, we can’t write off the french clubs. Lyon and Bordeaux are both tough teams. Either could make the final, though it would be a major upset if either won.
These teams will play twice. The first fixture will take place February 16th, followed by a second leg on March 3rd.
