Manchester United vs. Italian Opposition
With Manchester United‘s first of two Europa League Round of 16 Legs coming up on Thursday, here’s a look at some of the most memorable Manchester United matches against Italian opposition.
Not a top 5 list, but a list it is. Here are 5 Important Manchester United matches against Italian teams.
1. UEFA Champions League Semi-final vs. Juventus (4/7/1999) – Stadio delle Alpi
After finishing off Inter Milan 3:1 on aggregate in the Quarter-finals, the first leg of the Semi-finals against Juventus ended in a 1:1 draw thanks to a goal in the 90th minute from Ryan Giggs. The second leg, in Turin, would get off to a shaky start. Two quick goals from Filippo Inzaghi in the 6th and 10th minutes had the Red Devils on their heels early, but this match was far from over.
Roy Keane would get a goal back for Manchester United in the 24th minute with a glorious header from a David Beckham corner. 10 minutes later, Dwight Yorke heads in a cross from Andrew Cole to bring the match level. After Yorke hits the post later in the first half and Irwin strikes wood in the second, Cole gets United’s match winner in the 84th minute. Manchester United would go on to beat Bayern Munich for the Champions League title, completing the treble. The rest is history.
2. UEFA Champions League Quarter-final vs. Roma (4/10/2007) – Stadio Olimpico
To say this Quarter-final was tense would be an understatement. Google ‘2007 Roma – Man United Conflict’ for details. Nevertheless, two matches needed to be played and after losing 1:2 in the first leg, the second match is the reason for the entry on this list.
3 goals in the second ten minutes, a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo, a 60th minute goal (his second of the match) from Michael Carrick, and finally a closing goal from Patrice Evra won United this match 7:1 and the Quarter-final 8:3, on aggregate. This is the largest single victory against an Italian opponent in Manchester United’s history.
3. UEFA Champions League Semi-final vs. AC Milan (5/2/2007) – San Siro
Well, you can’t win ‘em all. Rolling with the momentum gained from stomping Roma in the previous round, Manchester United won the first leg of this Semi-final at Old Trafford. When the second leg came around, the Red and Blacks from Milan had other plans for our Devils. Kaka would score the third of his total of three goals for AC Milan over both legs. Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino would each add a goal to finish off United 5:3, on aggregate. AC Milan would end up beating Liverpool in the final, so I guess it’s not all bad.
4. UEFA Champions League Quarter-final vs. Roma (4/9/2008) – Old Trafford
After both men scoring in the first leg, some would say Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo not in the starting line-up of a Champions League match would never happen. That is exactly what took place during the second leg of this Quarter-final. There were a flurry of early chances brought by United but no goals to be found.
Roma was awarded a penalty in the 30th minute that was sent flying over the crossbar. There were more opportunities for the Italian side to score but none crossed the touch line into the net. Carlos Tevez scored a header in the 70th minute and Wayne Rooney ended up being subbed on in the 74th minute but the match was already over. Manchester United would go on to win the Champions League title that year after beating Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out.
5. UEFA Champions League Group Stage vs. Juventus (11/7/2018) – Allianz Stadium
After being eliminated by a different Cristiano Ronaldo team in the 2013 Champions League, Manchester United found themselves pitted against him once again, this time in the Group Stage of the competition. The first match at Old Trafford ended with the Red Devils dropping all three points. It would have happened again in the second match, but a perfectly placed free kick and an own goal would tilt the outcome in United’s favor.
Ronaldo would score Juventus’ only goal of the match off a volley from inside the box. There would not be another goal until the 86th minute when Juan Mata sent a free kick bending into the top left corner passed a diving Wojciech Szczesny. Four minutes later, another free kick was sent into the box and after a bounce, the ball deflected off Alex Sandro into the goal. Both teams would make it as far as the Quarter-finals in that competition with Man United losing to Barcelona and Juventus losing to Ajax.
Be the first to comment