Cristiano Ronaldo didn't make good on his promise to score in Old Trafford. Most of the Barcelona stars who got off good shots -- Lionel Messi, Deco, Thierry Henry -- didn't make good on their chances, either.In the end, it was Paul Scholes, one of few veterans left over from Manchester United's 1999 treble-winning team, who scored the only goal of this semifinal. Scholes' bending 30-yard blast in the 14th minute, combined with 90 minutes of strong defense, gave the Red Devils a 1-0 win over Barcelona and a spot in the UEFA Champions League final in Moscow.
Man United pulled this off without Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic, who suffered injury's in Saturday's Premier League loss to Chelsea. Several pundits thought that loss and the 0-0 draw in the first leg in Barcelona might be Sir Alex Ferguson's undoing. Instead, his side today gave Barcelona few real scoring opportunities. 11 of Barca's 14 shots went wide, and Edwin Van Der Sar was up to the task for the other three, which brought cheers from a packed and (for a change) noisy crowd at Old Trafford.
Man United advances to the Champions League final for the first time since they won it in 1999 -- a match Scholes missed because of yellow card suspension. They await the winner of tomorrow's Chelsea v. Liverpool match, ensuring an all-English final for the first time in European Cup history.
ADVERTISEMENT
_thumbnail.jpg "NASCAR Cowboy Hats")
