Despite a disappointing defeat in the Bernabeu on Tuesday night, Ruud van Nistelrooy could at least console himself with the fact that he had achieved yet another record-breaking feat.

The Dutchman’s crucial second half strike not only ensured that United remain in with a chance of progressing into the semi finals, but it also secured his name in the annals of history.

The Dutch striker became the first player in Champions League history to break the 10-goal barrier in a single season with his header against Real Madrid. His tally in this competition now stands at an incredible 21 goals in 22 games ( excluding qualifiers).

Van Nistelrooy had already shown his class by reaching the 10-goal mark for the second successive season – he’s the only player to manage that in the competition’s history – but now he has his sights set on the overall European Cup record, currently held by Brazilian Jose Altafini.

Champions League leading scorers
Season Player Club Goals
2002/03 van Nistelrooy Manchester United 11
2001/02 van Nistelrooy Manchester United 10
1999/2000 Rivaldo Barcelona 10
1999/2000 Raul Real Madrid 10
1999/2000 Jardel Porto 10
1998/99 Shevchenko Dynamo Kiev 10
1997/98 del Piero Juventus 10

The goalscoring record was first created by Milos Milutinovic, who scored eight times for Partizan Belgrade in the opening competition in 1955-56. The following season, Dennis Viollet of Manchester United set a new mark of nine and Alfredo di Stefano of the great Real Madrid team became the first to reach double figures in a single campaign in 1957-58.

The record was broken again in 1959-60 by di Stefano’s team-mate Ferenc Puskas, before Altafini set a tally of 14 as AC Milan took the European Cup to Italy for the first time in 1963.

All-time leading scorers
Season Player Club Goals
1962/63 Altafini AC Milan 14
1959/60 Puskas Real Madrid 12
1960/61 Aguas Benfica 11
1972/73 Muller Bayern Munich 11
1978/79 Sulser Grasshoppers 11
2002/03 van Nistelrooy Manchester United 11
1957/58 di Stefano Real Madrid 10
1958/59 Fontaine Reims 10
1970/71 Antoniadis Panathinaikos 10
1979/80 Lerby Ajax 10
1988/89 van Basten AC Milan 10
1997/98 del Piero Juventus 10
1998/99 Shevchenko Dynamo Kiev 10
1999/2000 Jardel Porto 10
1999/2000 Raul Real Madrid 10
1999/2000 Rivaldo Barcelona 10
2001/02 van Nistelrooy Manchester United 10

Should Ruud manage to score four more and break the all time scoring record in the European Cup this season, then it is a fairly safe bet that the famous trophy will be staying in Manchester long after the final on May 28th.

je sens ke la match juv-fcb sera en differé , kon de tf1

Manchester United , le football , tout simplement . ...............

=>une vague de news.......!

=>"Sir Alex is desperate for Seba´s return"

Sir Alex Ferguson is desperate to have Juan Veron fit for the Champions Legaue quarter final second leg at Old Trafford in a fortnight.

Veron has been out injured for five weeks now since being substituted against Leeds early last month.

And with Paul Scholes out of the quarter final second leg after picking up a yellow card in Madrid, Fergie is in dire need of Veron´s influence on the field.

“(Scholes being out) is a big loss,” said Sir Alex Ferguson. “It’s important now that we get Juan Sebastian Veron fit.”

Veron said on Monday that he was three weeks away from a return from his knee ligament injury. The Madrid game would come after only two and a half weeks further recovery, and means it is nip and tuck whether the Argentine will be back in time.

Seba´s style of play could be key to a United victory against Madrid. Veron´s performances in Europe have been phenomenal this year - his display in Turin against Juventus just before he picked up his injury was of the highest order.

A rapid return and another colossal performance is now on Fergie´s wish list.

=>keano........

"Roy predicts a battle back in Manchester"

Roy Keane says Ruud van Nistelrooy’s second half goal against Real Madrid has given United the glimmer of hope they need for the return leg at Old Trafford.

Ruud grabbed an invaluable away goal to leave United clinging to the Champions League quarter final tie by the skin of their teeth.

And according to the United captain, Real will know when they come to Old Trafford – win or lose – that they have been in a battle.

”It will be a hell of a game,” Keane said. “It’s going to be a tough match for them at Old Trafford. We’ll make sure that if they are going to go through, we make it a battle for them.”

Keane was bitterly disappointed at United’s failure to keep their concentration early in the match as United went in at half time 2-0 down.

Roy said: ”Before the game we would have been disappointed with a 3-1 defeat, but with that away goal we’ve got a bit of hope. That’s all you want, a bit of hope."

But it was a lack of concentration - first to leave Figo unmarked out wide, and second Scholes giving the ball away on the edge of the box - that left United wondering whether there was any hope left of a place in the last four.

”Concentration is always important," Keane continued. With players like Raul and Figo, they can punish you.”

Despite an early flurry of chances for the Reds – Scholes’ low shot was the pick of the bunch - Real’s galaxy of stars worked through their repertoire of tricks and slick passing moves.

United were chasing shadows as soon as Figo´s goal of dubious intent flew into the top corner. And although Keane admitted Real deserved credit for their attacking flair in a first half blitz, he pointed out that the first two goals came about due to defensive lapses from the boys in red.

He said: “I’m disappointed with their three goals. But we battled and showed great character in the second half, we kept going and got the away goal.

”As poorly as we played in the first half, we still created one or two half chances. But you look at the goals they scored and I am disappointed with that. I thought they maybe could have been stopped. When you give teams like Real Madrid a 2-0 headstart, you are going to be up against it.

”Give credit to Real Madrid, lets not kid ourselves, they are a top team. Some of the players they have are world-class. And they have proved that over the years,” Roy added.

And the return leg at Old Trafford on Wednesday 23 April represents United’s current crop of players with the greatest challenge of their careers.

”This would be the biggest ever. There is no doubt, it’s the biggest challenge this team will ever face. But that is what football is all about. People will expect us to go so there is nothing to lose.

”This Real Madrid team are convinced that if they concede three or four goals, they will score four or five. It will be a fantastic game and, with the fans behind us, we’ll see what happens,” Keane said.

"OPTA MATCH ANALYSIS"

Manchester United’s hopes of progressing to the semi finals of the Champions League were dealt a severe blow last night, as Real Madrid turned in a dazzling display of inventive, attacking football that left Alex Ferguson’s men on the ropes ahead of the second leg. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 11th goal of the competition coupled with a spirited second half display suggests that the tie is far from dead, though anyone who witnessed the performance of the home side at the Bernabeu would surely agree that it is going to take a monumental effort for the Reds to get through this one.

Boasting a team sheet that reads like a who’s who of world football, the reigning European champions were always going to pose a formidable obstacle in their own back yard; and so it proved as Madrid appeared to play the role of matador in a first half that for long periods saw United chasing shadows.

The man at the heart of everything for Real, was Zinedine Zidane. The French midfielder yet again proved that at this level of the game there is no one to quite match him, as his intuitive passing and sublime skills provided the perfect foil for Madrid’s awesome attacking armoury.

Completing a staggering 90% of his passes including two assists, Zidane put in a midfield master class that could only be admired, and leaves Madrid with one foot in the semi final.

Despite making a bright start, United found themselves two goals down inside 30 minutes, as first Luis Figo then Raul clinically exposed a nervous looking United rearguard. It could have been worse had referee Anders Frisk not spotted Wes Brown’s trip on Ronaldo inside the area, though at this stage, United needed all the help they could get.

Pegged back for much of the first period, the second half could not have started more disappointingly for the Reds, as Raul once again seized on hesitancy at the back to give Real a three-goal just four minutes after the restart. A heavy defeat looked on the cards, though as they have proved so often in the past, United are made of sterner stuff than that.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s close range header after Iker Casillas could only partially block Ryan Giggs’ snap shot, reduced the deficit just three minutes later, and there was now a sense that the Reds were right back in the contest.

Although David Beckham and van Nistelrooy spurned excellent opportunities to turn the tie on its head later in the second half, United were probably relieved to have left the Spanish capital with only a 3-1 defeat.

The post match statistics reveal that Real had amassed 17 efforts on United’s goal compared to the visitors’ 13, and had completed over 100 more passes with a superior 85% accuracy. Fortunately, Ruud’s crucial away goal means that a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in a fortnight’s time would see the Reds progress, though keeping a clean sheet against this side certainly looks like a tall order.

g la flemme de traduire ^^

=>"Fergie´s plan to stop Raul"

Sir Alex says that he may call in customs to stop Real Madrid´s Raul from playing in the quarter-final second leg in a fortnight´s time!

The Boss joked that the only way to stop the golden boy of Spanish football and the record goalscorer in Champions League history is to make sure he´s not on the pitch.

"Raul is so difficult to play against when he starts taking up the positions he did last night," said Ferguson after the match.

"He has always seems to be an outlet for them and we never contained that part.

"We know Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo are great players but we could have handled that. Raul was very difficult.

"My only hope is that he doesn´t like travelling. Failing that, we will stop him coming into the country for the second leg!

"Real Madrid have bought some great players over the last few years but, at the moment, Raul is the best in the world."

Joking apart, Fergie admits that his charges will have to score first at Old Trafford if they are to stand a chance of reaching a semi-final against Juventus or Barcelona.

"We are facing a very difficult second leg and our only ray of hope is the away goal we scored," said Sir Alex after the match.

"If we were to score first it could make it an interesting evening. That is the challenge facing us now.

"We are not underestimating it but we also know what Old Trafford can be like on big European nights."

The one aspect for the manager to hang his hopes on is that Real Madrid surely cannot play as well as they did for two consecutive matches against United.

"They mesmerised us at times with their control and passing," admitted Fergie.

"The way they play through midfield is very difficult to combat. With Figo and Zidane in there and Raul dropping into the spaces, they have fantastic quality.

"They are capable of playing just as well away from home but hopefully at Old Trafford we will provide more of a goal threat."

meme ds mes cauchemard jlis pas autant en anglais ! !!!!!!!!!

=>des RAISONS d´y croire ; -)

=>United´s lesson from history

By Tom Fordyce

Beckham and Neville celebrate the comeback win over Juve in 1999

As Sir Alex Ferguson´s players arrive back in Manchester after their comprehensive 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid, the mood within the team is downbeat.

United need to win by two clear goals in the second leg at Old Trafford to prevent themselves crashing out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage - and even then, they cannot let Real score more than once.

Ferguson believes United can still go through - but what do the history books tell him?

In United´s long and distinguished record in European competitions, how have they fared when needing to win after a first-leg defeat?

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Comeback kings

Man Utd 3-0 Atletico Bilbao, European Cup, 1957

The Busby Babes served notice of their extraordinary but tragically short-lived promise on a cold February night at Old Trafford.

Trailing 5-3 after a first-leg hammering in Bilbao, United battled back to triumph 3-0 on the night and go through 6-5 on aggregate thanks to goals from Dennis Viollet, Johnny Berry and, in the last few seconds. Tommy Taylor.

It was United´s first season in the European Cup, the beginning of a love-affair which continues to this day. Yet, ominously for Ferguson´s men, the team who ended United´s hopes that year were none other than Real Madrid.

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Comeback clowns

Man Utd 1-2 Bayern Munich, Champions League, 2001

United trailed 1-0 to a first-leg Paulo Sergio goal as they travelled to Munich in search of a semi-final place.

But Elber and Mehmet Scholl struck in the first and final five minutes of a sensational first half to leave United with a mountain to climb.

Ryan Giggs pulled a goal back in the second half but United never looked like denying Bayern the revenge they craved after that last-gasp Champions League final defeat two years previously.

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Comeback kings

Man Utd 3-0 Barcelona, Cup Winners´ Cup, 1984

For Real Madrid now, read Barcelona then - Spanish giants led by a South American legend.

Where Real have Ronaldo, Barca had Diego Maradona - and after a 2-0 win in the Nou Camp, they seemed to be cruising through.

But, in another echo of the present day, United were inspired to a wonderful comeback by the driving force of England´s captain in their midfield.

Can David Beckham re-create Bryan Robson´s virtuoso display of 19 years ago? That night, Robson scored twice, Frank Stapleton once, as United blew the Spaniards away.

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Comeback clowns

Man Utd 1-0 Partizan Belgrade, European Cup 1966

United had lost 2-0 in Belgrade, but ran out at Old Trafford confident that they could make good the deficit.

But it was not to be. Stout defending from Partizan kept United at bay for the entire first half, and a solitary second half goal was not enough to keep Sir Matt Busby´s re-built side from going out.

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Comeback kings

Juventus 2-3 Man Utd, Champions League, 1999

Can Beckham re-create the magic of four years ago?

United had scraped a 1-1 draw at home in the first leg of the semi-final thanks to a late Ryan Giggs equaliser, but had looked far from convincing.

Within 11 minutes of the second their hopes of a first Champions League final since 1968 seemed to have gone; two goals from Filippo Inzaghi leaving them 3-1 down on aggregate.

Then the comeback began. Roy Keane grabbed one back on 24 minutes, Dwight Yorke brought them level 10 minutes later and Andy Cole sealed the win - their first ever on Italian soil - six minutes from the end.

And if United want an omen for this year, who was the gifted playmaker in the opposition midfield who ran the first match but ended the second anonymous?

None other than Zinedine Zidane, Real´s best player on Tuesday night.

bon ba on la gagne
: -)

There is no way, no how, man utd couldn´t win it, man !

au fait diEnamaX--->faut qu´on parle . ......

oui mr le procureur . ....

vite je vais watch le match

Monsieur le procureur?
=>tu confonds pas avec Greenpepper?!

Des que tu es la fait signe!

jai pa trouver dautre mot dsl

ok...pas de pb

bon alors tu la connais bien monica ? ^^

lmarco je tadorre mais je comprend pas ? ????

substance illicite = danger pour la santé

Mo´ c ma deese