Man U vs. Lyon
2-20-08

Champions League

Players to watch on Lyon: Juninho and Benzema

Juninho is the architect and Benzema is a dangerous striker with 16 goals in the French League 1


Lyons last Champions League game was against Rangers

Lyon won that game 3-0 with 2 goals by Benzema

 

This will be Ryan Giggs 100th game in Champions League competition, which he started by wearing the captain’s armband

Man Utds last Champions league game against Roma which they tied 1-1. That was the only game Manchester United did not win in the group faze.

 

Lyon

Coupet

Grosso

Boumsong

Squillaci

Reveillere

Juninho

Kallstrom

Govou

Clerc

Benzema

 

Man Utd

Van der Sar

Evra
Ferdinand

Brown

Vidic

Hargreaves

Giggs

Ronaldo
Anderson

Scholes

Rooney

 

The first chance for Man Utd came from Ronaldo who fired a shot instead of trying to take the last defender 1v1, very strange for Ronaldo who certainly has the ability to do so.

 

SOME SORT OF LASER WAS SHINING ON RONALDO WHEN HE ATTEMPTED THAT SHOT! It looked like a high-powered laser, which pilots have complained about, flying over 16,000 feet this is a pretty powerful laser.

Here is a link investigating the report: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/21022008/58/champions-league-ronaldo-hit-lazer-attack.html

 

United started with a good balance of experience and youth. With experienced players like Ferdinand, Giggs, and Scholes and young players like Rooney, Ronaldo, and Anderson

 

Lyons early chances came from United right side.

 

Manchester United looked much more patient with the ball trying to create the attack by moving the ball and resetting when there weren’t options, while Lyon tried to rush everything in the first 15 min.

Lyon had 3 players if upon receiving a yellow card could not play in the return leg: Juninho, Govou, and Reveillere

 

Lyon shifted the momentum and was on the offensive after the 20th min of play.

 

Ferdinand mistimed and misjudged a ball, which it almost cost his team an own goal. The ball was put into the middle by Lyon and in an attempt to clear the ball it hit off of Rio’s shin-guard and rolled right by Van der Sar’s far post.

  

Min 24 Ryan Giggs put in a wonderful ball for Rooney by chipping it over the Lyon defense by hitting it with the outside of his foot! Rooney had a brilliant 1st touch to get past the Lyon defender but misses a clear 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper.

Wayne Rooney executed the most difficult part flawlessly but fell short on the finish. If Rooney finished even 30% of the chances he got he would be the best striker in the world

 

Unfortunately Rooney’s chance only lead to a counter from Lyon, Clerc  took the ball down the flank and put a deadly pass back at an angle toward the top of the eighteen, which Benzema ran on to and hit precisely  but just went over the bar.

 

In the 32nd minute Brown and Giggs had a play that made me scratch my head.
It was a Man Utd throw-in 3 yards from Lyons corner flag. Brown went to take the throw and as Giggs was walking away Brown threw the ball at Giggs’ back. It bounced of Giggs’ back and went out for a Lyon goal kick. If you see Giggs’ reaction, it looked like it was an actual play. He doesn’t look surprised or anything, he feels the ball and makes the run. Was it planned? I don’t know

  

Ronaldo was fouled 30 yards from Lyons goal by Reveillere.

Reveillere was booked and will miss the return leg.

 

Hargreaves was booked rightfully so on a foul against Govou. 25 yards out is a very dangerous place to commit a foul against Lyon. Juninho who is very dangerous from free kicks stepped up but put it over the bar.

 

Juninho went in cleats up on Giggs toward the end of the first half and is lucky not to have gotten a yellow, because he would have miss the return leg against Man Utd at Old Trafford.

 

2nd half on the way

 

In the 54th minute Benzema made Man Utd pay for giving him an inch. Great individual skill by Benzema, he had three United defenders around him and was still able to create just enough room to get the shot off, from the top of the 18 and put it just out of

Van der Sars reach.

Ronaldo was not able to take a clean shot all game, every time Ronaldo prepared to take a shot he was rushed by 2 or 3 Lyon players

 

Nani and Carlos Tevez came on in minute 65.

 

In the 70th minute Nani put in a wonderful ball for Tevez, who struck the ball well enough to beat the keeper, but Rooney (who was clearly offside) came in and touched it. From my angle it looked like the ball had more then a good chance of going in without Rooneys help. Unfortunately Rooneys goal was called offside.

 

Juninho came off in the 75 minute for Bodmer. Lyon sacrificed an architect for an enforcer. It could also have been, that the coach didn’t want Juninho to get a yellow, because then he would miss the next leg

 

Min 76 Ben Arfa comes on for Clerc, Ben Arfa is a very dangerous forward. Who is also wearing the orange Nike Mercurial Vapor IV, which Ronaldo made famous in a recent Nike add where he races a Bugatti Veyron. Kids all over the world are trying to get their hands on these $200 pair of boots, who are also being worn by Nani and Robinho

 

It only took 2 shots on goal by Tevez before he converted a ball Nani played from the flank. “Tevez saves Manchester United” is what every newspaper will read tomorrow.