Manchester United 3 v 0 Debrecen
Old Trafford, Manchester
9th August 2005
Manchester United ran out comfortable winners in thee team’s first foray into Europe this season, with all Three of United’s three-pronged attack grabbing a goal, to set Fergie, and all United fans, dreaming that this might be the year…
With the Glazer’s watching for the first time at Old Trafford in the Chairman’s box, and with a mass protest outside the ground, it’s a wonder the United players were able to concentrate as well as they did. And yet it took the Reds just 7 minutes to break their European duck that had lasted all through their games against AC Milan last season.
Van Nistelrooy, joined up front by Ronaldo and Rooney, had his part to play in the first goal, causing confusion and disruption in the crammed box, and when the ball skimmed out of the kafuffle, Rooney was there, cleverly waiting, to place the ball neatly into the very corner of the goal from the edge of the box.
United failed to capitalise on their dominance in the first half, and Debrecen even went close to equalising at one point with a brave save from Van Der Saar the only thing keeping United with a clean-sheet.
The second half started a lot brighter for Debrecen, with their training ground move seeing the ball in the back of the net within 25 seconds. Fortunately the striker was deemed to have knocked Gary Neville over in the process, and play was brought back.
Before the Hungarians got a chance to capitalise on their new system and speed after the break, United grabbed a second. Van Nistelrooy was passed the ball in space by Rooney, and he rifled the ball home.
The game was effectively over when Ronaldo was gifted his goal. Rooney again ran the defence ragged before cutting the ball back to our Portuguese hero, who was able to side-foot home.
Game over, 3 – 0 and an excellent chance of progressing into the Group Stages. The return-leg comes in two weeks.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, O'Shea, Fletcher, Scholes, Keane (Park 67), Ronaldo (Smith 67), van Nistelrooy (Rossi 82), Rooney.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Heinze, Miller, Richardson.
