[UCL] Lille 0 - 1 Manchester United

[Sparx]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42588000/gif/_42588649_lille_manu.gif

Champions League first knock-out round, first leg

Lille v Manchester United

Date: Tuesday 20 February
Kick off: 1945 GMT
Venue: Stade Felix Bollaert, Lens


Manchester United hope to have a full squad to choose from for their Champions League tie with Lille.

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is in the Red Devils party but rookie Tom Heaton also travelled in case the Dutchman has not fully recovered from a broken nose.

Wayne Rooney is set for a recall after he was suspended for Saturday's FA Cup draw against Reading.

He could partner Henrik Larsson, whose last appearance in this competition was for Barcelona in the 2006 final.

The one minor hiccup to United's preparations is that the pitch at Lens' Stade Bollaert has been declared unfit to train


It means both United and Lille, who did not concede a goal in two meetings with Sir Alex Ferguson's men last season, will instead train at the Lens training ground at La Gayette.

Man Utd (from): Van der Sar, Kuszcak, Heaton, Neville, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Vidic, Evra, Heinze, Brown, Fletcher, Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Carrick, Park, Richardson, Rooney, Saha, Smith, Larsson, Solskjaer.

SCOUTING REPORT ON THE OPPOSITION

Who are they? The tournament outsiders at the bookies - 125-1 if you fancy a flutter - it is more than 50 years since they won a French domestic trophy after a period of glory after the Second World War when they lifted silverware on seven occasions.

Recent form: Bad. Three straight wins took them to second in Le Championnat following the winter break in France, but since then they have dropped to third after failing to win in three. Add a French Cup defeat to Nantes into the mix and they have scored just once in their last four games, when they took the lead at the weekend against leaders Lyon. But two goals conceded in the final seven minutes mean the bad run goes on.

European record: Lille made European competition for the first time in 2001. This is their second successive season in the Champions League and last year they enjoyed their best result when a 1-0 win over Manchester United helped them qualify for the Uefa Cup and dump their English opponents out of Europe. They also claimed the scalp of AC Milan in this year's group stage.

How did they get here?: They claimed third spot in Ligue 1 in dramatic fashion on the last day of the season to earn a place in this year's qualifying competition where they beat Macedonian outfit Rabotnicki to reach the group stage where they lost only one match.

Ones to watch: Sir Alex Ferguson will get another chance to watch midfield duo Jean Makoun and Mathieu Bodmer - if the latter proves his fitness. The pair drive Lille on and United have repeatedly been reported to be interested in signing the pair in the past. Cameroonian Makoun - AKA The Cleaner - is the one who does the tidying up with a tenacious attitude in front of the defence which leaves Bodmer, Lille's leading scorer in Le Championnat, to forage forward and find chances in front of goal.

Did you know? Lille's Stade Lille-Metropole does not meet Uefa standards so they play their 'home' fixtures 40km up the road at the Stade Felix Bollaert in Lens. Hopefully keeper Tony Sylva will be kept in the loop. A fortnight ago he made a 8,000km round trip to Senegal for a friendly against Angola only to find out the game had been cancelled and a new match had been re-arranged against Benin in Rouen, just 250km from his home.

They say: "We change our tactics in every match depending on the situation. I'll say our coach Claude Puel holds the ace here. Alex Ferguson is an institution, but we also have good coaches who have what it takes to confront the legend. With a good display the return leg will be a formality."
Peter Odemwingie, Lille striker

BIG MATCH STATS


Head-to-heads

Lille and Manchester United have met four times in European history, all in the Champions League.

In the 2001-02 CL campaign, United beat Lille 1-0 in a Group G home match, courtesy of a 90th minute goal from David Beckham. The return match ended in a 1-1 draw through goals by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Bruno Cheyrou. Last season's Champions League Group D encounter at Old Trafford ended 0-0, during which Paul Scholes was sent off. The return in France was won by Lille - Milenko Acimovic scoring the only goal of the game.

European history

Manchester United have won the Champions Cup/Champions League twice (1968, 1999), the Cup Winners' Cup once (1991), the European Super Cup (1991) and the Intercontinental Club Cup (1999). They are taking part in their 12th Champions League season.

United have played 236 European matches, whereas Lille only have 40 games under their belt in Europe. This is only the fourth European season for Lille, their third in the Champions League.

Current European form

Lille reached the last 16 by finishing second in Group H behind AC Milan with nine points from six matches. They have never lost a home match in the Champions League. The run is now up to nine.

Manchester United qualified for the last 16 by winning Group F with 12 points from six matches. They've lost their last two away matches in the CL, 1-0 at Copenhagen and 1-0 at Celtic.

Player and disciplinary info

Lille's Abdul Kader Keita is suspended for this match. United's Paul Scholes will be suspended if booked. He holds the record for most yellow cards (28) in the CL.

Gregory Tafforeau is Lille's most experienced player with 14 appearances. Tafforeau, Nicolas Plestan and Mathieu Chalme have started and finished all CL matches this season. Louis Saha is United's CL top scorer this season with four goals. Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is the only United player who has not missed a minute in this CL season.

Other miscellaneous facts

Lille lost at home to Ligue 1 pacesetters Lyon 1-2 on Friday and lie in third place in the table - 18 points behind Lyon.

Manchester United are six points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premiership, but were held to a 1-1 draw, home to Reading, in the FA Cup on Saturday.

[mightymanc10]

come on united. united all the way !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[redmaster]

A tricky away match in my opinion, I would be happy with 1-1 draw

[Bartmu]

A tricky away match in my opinion, I would be happy with 1-1 draw

and so am i! Most importsnt is to keep a clean sheet. Or score a goal ourselves ofcourse. Nothing different from a normal game i would say :D
U score 1 more u win...

But i'd be happy with a draw too

[Bartmu]

btw, no fantasy betting for tonight?

[mightymanc10]

its a game united should be able to win so come on united for the win. in my opinion a draw isnt good enuf. we have the ability to beat a team like lille

[RED MAN WALKING]

HAPPY WITH A DRAW!!!!!!!! united should be beating teams like this easily we are top of the prem for **** sake!

[redmaster]

btw, no fantasy betting for tonight?

Sorry! I forgot to add tonights event!! :eek:

[King_Cantona]

I know we'll win at Old Trafford so a draw today would suit we fine.

[mightymanc10]

i agree with RED MAN WALKING. a draw? come on people. weve should have the ability to beat lille. we should get more than a draw tonight.

[Bartmu]

does anyone know what what going on in the away stand (manchester stand) during the first half? I heard the french police shot their tear-gas again...

[Bartmu]

Manchester United fans were involved in a security scare during the Champions League tie against Lille amid scares they were being crushed in the stands.

A problem erupted 15 minutes into the match at Lens' Stade Felix-Bollaert, with some fans being pushed against the 10-foot-high metal security fences.

Fans reacted angrily, prompting riot police to fire tear gas into the stand.

However, after two fans, one an elderly woman, were lifted over the barriers to safety, the unrest was quelled.

Television reports suggested the gates at the back of the stand had been opened by police to allow Red Devils supporters with tickets for the home section of the stadium to sit with their own fans.

United had expressed concerns about the basic facilities at the ground before the match.

The club was surprised Lille were allowed to move the game to the compact 42,000 stadium in northern France rather than a larger, more modern venue like the Stade de France.

Manchester United secretary Ken Ramsden revealed the club would meet with Uefa and Football Association officials after the game to discuss the incident.

source: BBC

Where did we see that before?! Delighted with the win though :D

[redmaster]

does anyone know what what going on in the away stand (manchester stand) during the first half? I heard the french police shot their tear-gas again...

According to reports it was something to do with part of the stand being closed so too many supporters in one part, so some of them were trying to get out..

Luckily they opened to stand for the second half and allowed the fans to spread out.

[mightymanc10]

i thought lille were a disgrace when they walked off the pitch and when there fans were throwing things. kick em out of the competition.

[RED MAN WALKING]

The worrying thing for me is we aint playing well a good side would have smashed us tonight

[Bartmu]

i thought lille were a disgrace when they walked off the pitch and when there fans were throwing things. kick em out of the competition.

The Uefa kicked Feyenoord out of the Uefa-cup for less. The Feyenoord supporters were throwing stuff on the pitch while the players just kept playing. Now there're two things, first the players walk off the pitch then the supporters start throwing things to the United players. The Uefa should show their ******** now by kicking them out of the CL. It's not that i want to see Lille get banned from further european matches but the Uefa has to be very clear now and deal the same way they did before.

[Bartmu]

The worrying thing for me is we aint playing well a good side would have smashed us tonight

Don't worry too much about that mate. True champions also win these kind of matches, that's what making them true champions. United are true champions!!

[RED MAN WALKING]

Lets get them back to ot and give them a good ****ing footballing lesson!

[mightymanc10]

I couldnt agree mre bout kickin lille out of the CL thy were a disgrace

[RED MAN WALKING]

cant see that uefa aint got the balls

[mightymanc10]

well thy need to start findin the balls its a shambles. KICK EM OUT !!!!!

[RED MAN WALKING]

did you see the fergie interview he was well ****ed off!!!!

[mightymanc10]

yea i did and i hope uefa actually do smut bout it. i think the tie should be awarded to us. its a shambles if something isnt done

[Bartmu]

yea i did and i hope uefa actually do smut bout it. i think the tie should be awarded to us. its a shambles if something isnt done

in some way i agree with that but on the other hand i dont think united will agree with that. It'll cost us a lot of money, we're talking about ticket sales here, tv rights and all more...

[mightymanc10]

that sort of behaviour shouldnt be allowed and something need to be done in my opinion

[Bartmu]

i sure do agree with it but as i said, football is bussiness and bussiness is money...

[mightymanc10]

yes i suppose it is money for us but just imagine how much we would rake in if we went on to win the champions league. dont kno if its goin to happen tho but hopefully it will

[RED MAN WALKING]

i think not

[Bartmu]

that's wishfull thinking! Why not? We do have the form and as we go through further and further it can only give the players an extra boost to perform. imo we got a great squad and we got the right form, we can win the CL!

[Sparx]

Match Report: Lille 0 United 1

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8172/12277832nu7.jpg

A quickly-taken free kick from Ryan Giggs gave United a priceless 1-0 win in a controversial Champions League last 16 tie with Lille.

A host of chances had previously gone begging, but Giggs' 84th-minute winner sealed an invaluable lead ahead of the return leg in Manchester in two weeks' time.

Sir Alex Ferguson named an attacking side for the clash at the Stade Félix Bollaert, with Henrik Larsson partnering Wayne Rooney upfront.

Last season's Group D game against Claude Puel's side in Paris saw an inexperienced United side slip to a single-goal defeat.

Sixteen months on, the maturation and reinforcement of United's ranks was embodied by the fact that four full internationals - Gaby Heinze, Alan Smith, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Kieran Richardson - didn't even make the bench.

Such was the wealth of talent at Sir Alex's disposal that his only pre-match worry concerned the state of the Lens pitch. The bulging Reds squad was put through its paces at Lens' training ground on Monday in order to preserve the state of the match surface.

That decision was quickly validated after the commencement of play, with the pitch quickly cutting up under the high tempo action.

The first half-chance of the game fell to the hosts within just two minutes, as Nicolas Favergue headed well over the bar from Peter Odemwingie's left-wing cross.

Within 60 seconds Favergue's misery had snowballed as he became the first player to be booked, following a late challenge on Gary Neville. He was followed into the book by Patrice Evra, back on French soil with United for the first time. The 25-year-old was cautioned for a foul on Mathieu Debuchy.

Despite the early bookings, United's gameplan of containing and probing made for a calmly conducted opening passage of play, but events off the pitch unfortunately failed to follow suit.

United fans behind Edwin van der Sar's goal began to spill over the safety fencing and the French police responded, it seemed, by using pepper spray. The travelling supporters began to head towards the back rows of their section, shielding themselves from the incapacitating aerosol.

Play stopped momentarily, before United's first chance of the evening fell to Wayne Rooney. Ryan Giggs had a powerful shot blocked but United retained possession and, after Larsson's clever through ball, Rooney fired over the bar under pressure from two Lille defenders.

That incident sparked a spell of United pressure as Sir Alex's side grew as an attacking force. Debuchy and Nemanja Vidic were booked in quick succession before Giggs saw his dangerous right-wing cross cleared in front of Rooney.

United's most dangerous attack of the half saw Giggs' cross find Rooney inside the six yard box at a tight angle. The striker's pull-back was blocked, then Larsson and Ronaldo saw their close range shots ricochet to safety. Lille talisman Mathieu Bodmer then flashed a shot wide of van der Sar's upright in first-half injury time.

The rather cagey mood of the first half wasn't matched in the opening exchanges after the break, however, with a flurry of decent chances created and spurned.

Rio Ferdinand had to be alert to deny Odemwingie, before Rooney embarked on a superb slaloming run, bypassing three defenders before seeing his cross slid wide by Giggs.

Two minutes later Rooney was involved again. He released Ronaldo, and the Portuguese winger ran clean through on goal before being denied by Sylva. As the ball ran loose Ronaldo pulled back for the onrushing Rooney, but he could only fire wildly over the crossbar from just inside the box.

Shortly before the hour mark United's dominance came to an abrupt halt as the hosts stamped their authority on the game. First Bodmer was brilliantly denied by van der Sar at close range, then Odemwingie had a header ruled out for a shove on Vidic.

Louis Saha replaced Ronaldo with 25 minutes remaining, but wasted a glorious chance to score with his first touch, firing straight at Sylva. Odemwingie then shot wide as the game continued at a breathtaking pace, almost as if the players had opted to disregard the second leg entirely.

The chances kept coming. Moments after Lille had whipped in another dangerous corner, United broke at breakneck speed with Rooney. His cross was half cleared before, amid confused defending, Larsson rounded Sylva but could only chip narrowly over under the attention of a posse of defenders.

Paul Scholes was at the heart of all United's best play throughout the evening, giving a masterclass of pulling the strings in midfield.

Lille substitute Johan Audel stabbed over from close range, but a minute later Giggs had given United the lead in controversial circumstances.

OPtkzcaPe1c

With Sylva still lining up his wall for Giggs' impending 25-yard effort, the Welsh winger curled a fine shot into the goalkeeper's unguarded corner. The hosts were predictably incensed, with Sylva booked for his protestations and several Lille players set to walk off the pitch in protest, but the game continued without further incident as United held on for a priceless away win.

Lille: Sylva, Chalmé, Tavlaridis, Plestan, Bodmer, Makoun, Debuchy, Obraniak, Fauvergue (Cabaye, 57), Odemwingie (Audel, 76). Subs not used: Malicki, Rafael, Lichtsteiner, Mirallas.

United: Van der Sar, Neville, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Carrick, Scholes (O'Shea, 90), Ronaldo (Saha, 66), Giggs, Larsson, Rooney. Subs not used: Kuszczak, Brown, Park, Fletcher, Silvestre.

[Red Devil]

United goal was allowed under the following rules, provided to me by a League referee who is a long time friend of mine:


1. The referee asks the attacking side do they want the opposition players back the required distance or do they want to go early?

2. If they want them all the way back - they are then told to wait for the whistle as are the opposition

3. if they want to go early he steps aside and the kick is taken

4. AT NO TIME DOES HE HAVE TO BLOW THE WHISTLE if the kick is taken early

5. If the kick is taken after asking for the required distance and before the whistle is blown - the offending free kick taker is cautioned - not booked!! - a booking is what you make for your HOLIDAYS!!

6. If the ball enters and crosses the goal line and is DIRECT then a goal is given -- if it is IN -DIRECT and crosses the line wothout an opposing player touching it - then a goal kick is awarded!!!

[Bartmu]

i just read on the dutch nr1 football magazine's website that Lille is thinking about going to the Uefa to take further steps against the ref, Fergie and Giggs goal. Please Lille, do yourself a favour and just shut up...

check this: http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=512/newsid=509049.html?cid=rssfeed&att=index

[red_dec7]

init weve do nothin rong every time utd win in a fashon that doesnt suit the other team they complain GROW UP were the biggest club in the world get over it

[Bartmu]

the point is that the rules in france are a bit different. In france a free kick may not be taken before the ref blowes his whistle. In europe you may take it before. It's they're own fault, blame the Lille manager for it!

[redmaster]

I just heard that they have made an offical complaint, and hope to get the game replayed.. no chance!!

[Bartmu]

true! They absolutely got no chance! :D

“According to the laws of the game, most people would say the goal was perfectly valid,” the Uefa official said. “There are different interpretations in different countries, but it is very, very unlikely that their protest would be successful.”

source: Times Magazine

[Sparx]

Yup: I heard Claude Puel saying that according to French football rules, the ref must blow his whistle before a kick can be taken. Unfortunately for Lille they were playing a match under UEFA Champions League Rules which clearly mention that the whistle does NOT have to blown.

[Bartmu]

so the only problem left is the crowd... And that's their own fault too, they opened up the wrong sections... Blame yourself Lille!

[Red Devil]

Sepp Blatter has condemned the decision to host Lille's Uefa Champions League tie with Manchester United at Lens and suggested that fences should be removed from all the top leagues around Europe.

Manchester United fans feared there could be a repeat of the Hillsborough disaster during the game as a surfeit of supporters entered the ground, leading some to flee over the fences.

An investigation is currently ongoing to find out how the incident happened, but Fifa president Blatter believes it is wrong to stage the contest at a potentially dangerous ground. "I cannot understand that those who organise the Champions League accept a stadium like Lens to play such a match," he said. "In Lens, there are fences still, and it should not be permitted to play Champions League matches in such a stadium."

He went on to praise the British system, in which, since the tragedy at Hillsborough, top clubs have removed fences as well as converting to all-seater stadia. "It should be an example for everywhere else in the world. There is comfort and security in the stadia where everyone is seated and you have no fences. "If this were applied to all the other big leagues, some would not face the problems they are facing now."

Lille believe the overcrowding came because United issued their tickets too early, allowing fans time to generate fake tickets. However, United are expected to state their belief that it was the poor quality of tickets that allowed forgeries to be created.