Very sad, the way Man Utd conceded goals.....
By Tariq Panja, April 8 (Bloomberg) -- Manchester United will have to do something no English soccer team has achieved to keep alive its Champions League title defense, manager Alex Ferguson said. Last night’s 2-2 home draw with Porto left Ferguson’s team needing to win next week’s return match to guarantee a semifinal spot.
English teams have failed to come away from Porto’s Estadio do Dragao with a victory in 11 previous attempts. "We have to win the game," Ferguson said at a press conference. "We’re used to being first at everything at this club and we’ll have to be the first again." A draw in Portugal on April 15 would only be enough to take United through if it scores more than two goals. The winner will face a semifinal against Arsenal or Villarreal, who drew the opening match of their quarterfinal 1-1 in Spain.
The English champion looked to have secured a 2-1 victory last night when substitute Carlos Tevez scored with five minutes left, only for Mariano to snatch the draw in the last minute. Wayne Rooney had made it 1-1 after Cristian Rodriguez’s fourth-minute opener for the visiting team. "We only have ourselves to blame," Ferguson said. "To get a goal late on is quite a normal situation for us. But the one we gave away was absolutely terrible." The return of center-half Nemanja Vidic from suspension failed to shore up a defense that has now allowed 10 goals in its past four matches. United had only conceded three goals in eight previous Champions League games this season.
Slow Start : Partnered by Jonny Evans because of Rio Ferdinand’s groin injury, Vidic was tested from the beginning as Porto took advantage of a slow start from the home team. Lisandro Lopez fired a shot that Edwin Van Der Sar turned away at full stretch before Rodriguez put Porto 1-0 up. The Uruguayan midfielder reacted quickest to curl the ball past Van der Sar after Evans’s attempt to clear Lucho’s shot landed at the edge of the area. Porto had three further efforts before Cristiano Ronaldo’s header brought a diving stop from visiting goalkeeper Helton. Bruno Alves gifted United an equalizer in the 15th minute when he failed to spot Rooney lurking behind him and played the ball into the path of the England striker, who finished past Helton. The goal failed to spur Ferguson’s men, who continued to give away possession and invite pressure. Hulk and Raul Meireles both went close for Porto before half time.
While United improved after the break, the visitor continued to threaten on the counterattack.
Positive Reaction : "In the second half we tried to contain their attacks and did just that," Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira told reporters."We reacted well to conceding the second goal. It’s good to see the players react like that." With full-time approaching, Tevez beat his marker to fire in Rooney’s flick and put United ahead. As fans began streaming toward the exits, an unmarked Mariano met Lisandro’s center to ensure Porto avoided defeat in England for only the second time in 12 games.
Porto, which won its second European Cup title in 2004, eliminated United that year by grabbing a last-minute draw at Old Trafford that former coach Jose Mourinho celebrated by sprinting down the touchline. Last night, Ferreira was content to dance with delight. "The score is very good but we need to convince the players they can do better," added Ferreira. "United will probably play in a different style because they either need to win or get a very high-scoring draw."
