UNITED TURN IT ROUND FOR ANOTHER WIN

 

Wolfsburg were a team that was only started up in 1945(the town itself was only founded in 1938!) Overall they're effectively the Blackburn Rovers of the Bundesliga, not reaching the top flight till '97 and coming from nowhere to win the title last season. Needless to say, United haven't come close to crossing paths with them untill now. The Reds have dealt with plenty of German sides before though, most recently Stuttgart in the 03/04 Champions League Group E. United were beaten 2-1 at the Gottlieb Daimler Stadion before coming up with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford with Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring in both games. The last time United got a win in Germany was in the 02/03 Champions League Group F where we beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 at the BayArena with the Ruud boy again on the scoresheet with me watching from my Halls of Residence.

Still, despite their lack of history, Wolfsburg were clearly no mugs and like United, they had won their first match in this season's Champions League Group B match and had done so with a fair degree of quality. As a result, everyone was expecting a classic coming into this game at Old Trafford, and the fact that it was Premiership vs Bundesliga champions didn't exacly dampen the hype. Fergie went with Kuszczak in goal, Valencia right mid, Carrick and Anderson centre mid and Rooney and Owen up front. Fabio Capello was in the stands given that this was Owen's best chance to prove himself. Three points at home, as always, was the basic target.

Well the opening few minutes were slightly iffy but it wasn't long before Wolfsburg showed us why they were so hyped. An early didn't help our cause but we were soon back in business and started running the show more. In fact the Reds even hit the net but it was ruled out for an iffy offside decision. United had more chances after that but couldn't do anything with them. Wolfsburg didn't lie down either but nor could they hit the net. Overall it looked to be a tough match for United with both sides managing to cancel each other out. The hope was that we still had enough extra gears to see off the new big name in German football, it was not something we could take for granted.

Particularly not as the Bundesliga side started the second half on the attack and Makoto Hasbe sent over a 55th minute cross for Edin Dzeko to head in and United were in trouble...untill a 59th minute Giggsy free kick deflected off the wall and went in. United then took over in the latter stages of the match and finished off the game in the 78th minute after Giggsy pushed a Rooney pass towards Carrick and the England international midfielder completed the turnaround. Wolfsburg pushed for an equaliser but didn't get it. One of our tougher European wins and I certainly hope United have qualification wrapped up before they head to Germany.

Elsewhere, CSKA Moscow faced Besiktas at the Luziniki Stadium. Alan Dzagev opened the scoring for the home side who went on to have the better of the first half with Besiktas shaken up by CSKA's early strike. Milos Krasic then got CSKA's second early in the second half though Besiktas weren't planning to lie down and die. Ekrem Dag pulled one back for them but by that point it was too little, too late and CSKA deserved the win. That allowed United to rise to the top spot in Group B, three points ahead of both Wolfsburg in 2nd place and CSKA in 3rd and so far the Reds look to be cruising into the knockout stages.

In Group E, Liverpool faced Forentina in the Artemio Franchi. The match turned out to be a disaster for Pool, particularly the first half with Montenegrin assasin Stevan Jovetic deciding to make a name for himself by grabbing two goals. Rafael Benitez's team were battering the home side throughout the second half and hit the net only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. However there was nothing that the Scousers could do. That result leaves Pool dropping to 3rd in the group and on course for being parachuted into the Europa League. They're level on points with Fiorentina and qualificationbut are losing the virtual playoff 2-0 though they are three points ahead of Debrecen and going out of Europe altogether.

In Group D, Chelsea faced Apoel Nicosia at the Neo GSP Stadium. Nicolas Anelka opened the scoring fairly early on but though they had more chances than their Cypriot opponents, they were unable to do much with them. Indeed the game was much more even in the second half and the home side certainly had their uses. The Blues still managed to hold on but these certainly weren't the sort of displays Carlo Ancelotti would have had in mind. It still leaves the Blues top of the group though, three points ahead of 2nd place Porto and five points ahead of Apoel Nicosia and getting dumped into the Europa League. Not bad in theory but they're dodging bullets.

In Group H, Arsenal faced Olympiakos at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners dominated the first half but found a very stubborn opposition goalie in the way and were unable to grab the lead before the interval, ;eaving them frustrated. It proved to be a similar story for much of the second half as well, however eventually Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin were able to find the net and so secure a win for Arsene Wenger's team. That leaves Arsenal top of the group, three points ahead of second place Olympiakos and five points ahead of Standard Liege and getting dumped into the Europa League. So far so good for the Gunners.

In Group G, Rangers faced Seville at Ibrox. Seville had the stronger game in the first half but the SPL side was able to hold them at bay and should arguably have been given a penalty which caused Walter Smith to snark at the end of the match. By that point though, his team had been deep fried. Abdoulay Konko, Adriano, Luis Fabiano and Frederic Kanoute had all scored to secure a Seville win with Nacho Novo only able to grab a consolation goal. That leaves Rangers dropping to the bottom of the group and they look set to be going out of Europe altogether. They're level on points with Unirea Urziceni and the parachute into the Europa League with the virtual tie also level but they have a -2 goal difference deficit.

Going down a level, the Europa League group srages continued. In Group I, Everton beat BATE Borisov 2-1 at the Borisov Gradski Stadium(allowing them to remain top of the group). In Group E Fulham beat FC Basel 1-0 at Craven Cottage(allowing Roy Hodgeson's team to take the lead in their group). In Group C, Celtic had an 80s grudge match to deal with but in the end, were only able to draw 1-1 with Rapid Vienna at Celtic Park(leaving them bottom of the group). Overall, the Premiership teams seem to be doing pretty well but Celtic, like Rangers in the Champions League, are in serious trouble and pressure on Tony Mowbray probably won't help.

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