Manchester United 2 Lyon 1
After 1,000 games, 18 years and 18 trophies as manager of the world's most
popular club, Sir Alex Ferguson's remaining wish is for Manchester United to
conquer Europe at least one more time.
With Ruud van Nistelrooy around, they have every chance of making Ferguson's
dream come true and the Dutchman continued his phenomenal European record to
ease the Red Devils another step along the path to Champions League glory in
Istanbul next May.
Van Nistelrooy netted his 36th goal in 37 appearances since his £18.5million
arrival from PSV Eindhoven three years ago to ensure that when United visit the
Turkish city that will host next year's final to face Fenerbahce in a
fortnight, only superiority of Group D will be at stake.
The Dutchman's header ensured United's progression into the last 16 and saw
them leapfrog above fellow qualifiers Lyon, who have to beat Sparta Prague in
France in a fortnight and hope United do not achieve a similar result from their
own last game.
More than anything, this was the gift the knight of a thousand nights wanted
from his team this evening.
Having drunk in the adoration of 67,000 grateful supporters, had his
photograph taken with his team and accepted a commemorative gift from chief
executive David Gill, Ferguson took his customary spot at the back of the home
dug-out and awaited a performance fitting of the occasion.
In a sense, he got it as United, missing hamstring injury victim Ryan Giggs,
spent most of the opening period camped in the Lyon half, creating a succession
of clear-cut chances.
Unfortunately, due to either a poor final ball, a wayward shot or, in the case
of the early Wayne Rooney effort which crashed back off the base of a post,
sheer bad luck, Ferguson's team found the net just once.
After Giggs and Paul Scholes scored against Charlton last weekend, how fitting
the only other remaining member of Ferguson's famed 'Class of 92' should hit the
target tonight.
The long-serving England full-back trails only Raul in the Champions League
appearance chart, but his 94 previous appearances had yielded just a single
goal, against Basle 18 months ago.
Often the butt of dressing room banter for his abysmal scoring record,
Neville, having decided only seconds earlier not to make way for the stripped
and waiting Wes Brown after feeling a virus which eventually forced him off at
half-time, showed admirable attacking instinct to give United their lead.
Picking the ball up just inside the Lyon half, Neville first fed Cristiano
Ronaldo and then raced on to take the youngster's return ball.
He still did not stop after pushing a second pass out to Alan Smith, so when
the Lyon defence got in a tangle trying to deal with the striker's excellent low
cross, Neville was on hand to blast home when Lamine Diatta headed a weak
clearance straight into his path.
It should have been the prelude to an avalanche. Instead, United remained
goalless for the remainder of the half, with Lyon's slick but sporadic attacks
providing regular warnings about the problems of repeated failure.
Pierre-Alain Frau and Mickael Essien had already gone close, so Ferguson's
side had been warned, although when it came, the equaliser was laced with good
fortune.
Even Mahamadou Diarra could not have expected to score when he unleashed his
35-yard effort and saw it go straight towards Carroll.
But the goalkeeper, following on from Tim Howard's high-profile mistakes
against Porto last season and Lyon themselves on the opening night of this
campaign, added another unhappy European calamity to the Red Devils' list by
letting it slip straight through his hands.
But for all the trophies and triumphs, the hallmark of Ferguson's phenomenal
Old Trafford reign has been the sheer mental strength of the teams he turns
out.
And, having bemoaned their ill-fortune during the interval, they immediately
set about regaining the advantage.
It took precisely seven minutes for them to achieve the aim, this time in a
far more predictable manner as Van Nistelrooy rose to meet Rio Ferdinand's
excellent cross and added another close-range header to his astounding European
goals tally.
In one of the many assessments of his 18 years at Old Trafford over the past
week, Ferguson highlighted the prolific Dutchman as the striker he would have
liked to partner above any of the other illustrious names who have benefited
from his tutelage.
The admiration for Van Nistelrooy's immense ability will not have lessened now
that he has given the millennium man the best present of all.
Teams
Man Utd Carroll, Gary Neville (Brown 45), Ferdinand,
Silvestre, Heinze, Smith, Keane (Fortune 90), Scholes, Ronaldo,
Rooney, van Nistelrooy (Fletcher 71).
Subs Not Used: Howard, Bellion, Djemba-Djemba, O'Shea.
Booked: Keane.
Goals: Gary Neville 19, van Nistelrooy 53.
Lyon Puydebois, Reveillere, Diatta, Cris, Berthold, Diarra,
Essien, Juninho, Govou (Wiltord 60), Frau (Bergougnoux 72),
Nilmar (Malouda 72).
Subs Not Used: Jaccard, Clement, Gomez, Hima.
Goals: Diarra 40.
Att: 66,398
Ref: Kim Nielsen (Denmark).
