Oh Ronaldo, who loves ya baby
CRISTIANO Ronaldo scored a controversial second-half penalty to send United into the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Having come through three replays and two penalty shoot-outs to reach this point, Boro had already shown a tenacity that proved they would not be easily dismissed from the competition and little that occurred in the opening period suggested their stickability had lost any of its adhesive quality on the trip down from Teesside.
Ronaldo was unfortunate to see an early shot curl just wide and if anyone was going to light up the game, it was the Portugal winger. Bereft of clear opportunities, the contest seemed destined to see its opening goal three minutes before the break when Ryan Giggs set Wayne Rooney free with a superb slide-rule pass, but Rooney failed to convert.
The second period was as closely contested as the first, with Woodgate catching the eye, more through his ability to read United’s intentions than anything else. Each time the Red Devils threatened, it seemed the Real Madrid defender was there with a tackle, an interception or a header. It is impossible to keep Ronaldo and Rooney quiet all night though and both men found themselves one-on-one with Schwarzer, yet failed to score. In fairness, Ronaldo left himself a virtually impossible task as he rounded the Boro keeper but, from the tightest of angles he still managed to roll his shot against a post. Rooney though had no excuse after Michael Carrick sliced a pass straight through the heart of Boro’s defence. This time, the England man went early, only for Schwarzer to save with his right foot.
In a tie that seemed to be heading inexorably for extra-time, Ronaldo was the man sent flying again as Jonathan Woodgate made his only mistake of the night. The pair were flying for the dead ball line at top speed with 15 minutes of the contest remaining. But, even though Woodgate wisely opted not to attempt a tackle, he looked to have caught Ronaldo’s trailing leg as he fell, and referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot. Once the visitors’ arguments subsided, Ronaldo strode up to break Boro’s resistance by sending Mark Schwarzer the wrong way, taking United into the last four and one step closer to a dream Wembley showdown. They face Watford in the semis and are still on course to meet title rivals Chelsea - who beat Tottenham 2-1 in the night's other replay - on May 19.
Ronaldo ran past the Boro bench and made a sign of a TV with his fingers in what could have been an invitation for Southgate and his staff to look at the TV replays.
Abridged story from Manchester Online
Having come through three replays and two penalty shoot-outs to reach this point, Boro had already shown a tenacity that proved they would not be easily dismissed from the competition and little that occurred in the opening period suggested their stickability had lost any of its adhesive quality on the trip down from Teesside.
Ronaldo was unfortunate to see an early shot curl just wide and if anyone was going to light up the game, it was the Portugal winger. Bereft of clear opportunities, the contest seemed destined to see its opening goal three minutes before the break when Ryan Giggs set Wayne Rooney free with a superb slide-rule pass, but Rooney failed to convert.
The second period was as closely contested as the first, with Woodgate catching the eye, more through his ability to read United’s intentions than anything else. Each time the Red Devils threatened, it seemed the Real Madrid defender was there with a tackle, an interception or a header. It is impossible to keep Ronaldo and Rooney quiet all night though and both men found themselves one-on-one with Schwarzer, yet failed to score. In fairness, Ronaldo left himself a virtually impossible task as he rounded the Boro keeper but, from the tightest of angles he still managed to roll his shot against a post. Rooney though had no excuse after Michael Carrick sliced a pass straight through the heart of Boro’s defence. This time, the England man went early, only for Schwarzer to save with his right foot.
In a tie that seemed to be heading inexorably for extra-time, Ronaldo was the man sent flying again as Jonathan Woodgate made his only mistake of the night. The pair were flying for the dead ball line at top speed with 15 minutes of the contest remaining. But, even though Woodgate wisely opted not to attempt a tackle, he looked to have caught Ronaldo’s trailing leg as he fell, and referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot. Once the visitors’ arguments subsided, Ronaldo strode up to break Boro’s resistance by sending Mark Schwarzer the wrong way, taking United into the last four and one step closer to a dream Wembley showdown. They face Watford in the semis and are still on course to meet title rivals Chelsea - who beat Tottenham 2-1 in the night's other replay - on May 19.
Ronaldo ran past the Boro bench and made a sign of a TV with his fingers in what could have been an invitation for Southgate and his staff to look at the TV replays.
Abridged story from Manchester Online
posted by Swanson Red at 7:18 pm
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