Real -MU 3:1
Artykuły
Artykuł pochodzi z pisma "Guardian"
Kevin McCarra at the Bernabeu Stadium
Wednesday April 9, 2003
The Guardian
Manchester United can never have dreamed that they would look a 3-1 defeat in the face and greet it with civility. Gary Neville and Paul Scholes will be suspended for the return leg, but the second part of this quarter-final is not wholly academic. A goal by Ruud van Nistelrooy halted a rout at the Bernabeu.
Primitive arithmetic states that a 2-0 win would send United through, but this was a game that demands more subtle calculations. Sir Alex Ferguson's team, with a dogged desire to attack when possible, contributed to the drama. Even if they had to make do with a minor role, lesser sides would have struggled to get into camera shot at all against elusive Real.
United have to decide if this was a throwback to the cringeworthy nights of the early 90s or simply a rendezvous with a truly great team. The Old Trafford club could not cope with the searing build-up in midfield and here was reaffirmation that no one else quite has such delicate and deceptive touches as that otherwise robust midfielder Zinedine Zidane.
There is no counterpart, either, to Raul, who scored twice to take his total to 43 goals in the Champions League. From a 25-year-old, such abundance is almost baffling. Nonetheless, United had believed they could do much more than shake their heads in regret of their plight and in respect for the victors.
United must have believed that they could block Real, direct them down blind alleys and so make a grittier conflict of this fixture. One of the Spanish sports papers had flatly declared this meeting to be the best game in the world. United had terrible difficulty in keeping up their end of the billing.
In under half an hour they were already 2-0 down and indebted to the referee Anders Frisk for not awarding a blatant penalty. This was meant to be a gathering of peers, but United, to their disbelief, had to rediscover what it is to be outclassed. Worse still, with the second leg in mind, it was hard to see what they can do about it.
The cunning Scholes was the very last man they could afford to lose, since he was alone in looking as if he would merit a place on the Spanish club's payroll. Real behave as if defence, like income tax, is a wretched obligation and that grudging attitude could get them into trouble a fortnight from now, but there was no indication that United will thwart their creativity. To Ferguson's certain chagrin, Roy Keane and Nicky Butt were no obstacle at all last night.
By the interval Real were subtly imperious, switching suddenly from ambling manoeuvres to a hair-raising inspiration. The coach Vicente Del Bosque had welcomed this tie for the stimulus it would provide. There can be something scatty about Real, as if they need to be alarmed before they can feel utterly alive on the pitch. Had Julio Cesar not missed for Lokomotiv Moscow in the last minute or if Real themselves had not equalised against Borussia Dortmund in stoppage-time, the German champions would have taken their place in the last eight.
At the outset here they had the careful manner of men newly awakened to their heavy responsibilities and United were the lighter of heart for all too brief a while. Van Nistelrooy, with his back to goal, had just hooked a difficult opportunity over the bar when Real scored in the 12th minute.
Luis Figo had come over to the left wing and his body language declared that he saw opportunity for his refined right foot, even though the angle would have discouraged most. But the Portuguese virtuoso had the nerve to shape a shot around Fabien Barthez and high into the far corner. United were confounded.
After 20 minutes, Ronaldo was sent into the right of the area and befuddled Wes Brown before the defender thrust out an arm and leg to stop the Brazilian. Yet Frisk saw nothing amiss, and he had no greater taste for intervention when Barthez absent-mindedly palmed the ball outside the penalty area soon after.
Real, with 28 minutes gone, took matters into their own hands. Zidane fed Raul, whose trickery on the turn had Rio Ferdinand floundering as he fired home low at the near post. United were capable of no more than gawping wonder.
Real were not so very secure themselves, but the truth of that proposition would have been doubted as they lashed in a third goal in the 49th minute. Although Figo's cut-back was measured, the United midfield's inability to rush Raul was a token of the havoc wreaked on their minds. The attacker's strong, low 20-yard shot was perfect.
United, laboured though they were in comparison with sleek Real, could count on their character. Neville went forward in the 52nd minute and, when Iker Casillas parried Ryan Giggs's shot from the cross, Van Nistelrooy was lurking to head home the loose ball.
United kept on attacking because it is in their nature and because it was also the most natural way of rationing home possession. Real still had much of the ball, especially when Figo and Raul breached the central defence, and Ronaldo shot wastefully high.
United clung on last night, but success in this tie may already be beyond their reach.
Real Madrid (4-4-2): Casillas; Salgado, Helguera, Hierro, Roberto Carlos; Figo, Makelele, Conceicao, Zidane; Raul, Ronaldo (Guti, 83).
Manchester United (4-4-1-1): Barthez; G Neville (Solskjaer, 86), Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre (O'Shea, 58); Beckham, Butt, Keane, Giggs; Scholes; Van Nistelrooy.
Booked: Neville, Scholes, Van Nistelrooy, Keane.
Referee: A Frisk (Sweden).
abundance - obfitość, dostatek (abundant-obfity)
amble - iść powoli, spacerkiem; spacerek
blatant - rażący, krzyczący, głośny
baffle - zdumiewać, frustrować
befuddle - zamieszać, zawstydzać
breach - naruszenie, złamanie (przepisow)
chagrin - rozżalenie, rozgoryczenie, zawód
creativity - kreatywność
cunning - przebiegły, chytry
confound - zadziwiać, zawstydzać
cope - dawać sobie radę, osiągać
cringeworthy - skłonny powodować obawę i zawstydzenie
civility - grzecznoć, kurtuazja
contribute - przyczyniac się, dokładać się
counterpart - odpowiednik, duplikat, kopia
declare - deklarować, oświadczać, twierdzić
demand - żądać, wymagać
deceptive - oszukańczy, kłamliwy, zwodniczy
defeat - porażka, przegrana
dog - prześladować, molestować, pokonać
equalise (-ize) - wyrównać
elusive - wykrętny, trudny do zrozumienia
fixture - osprzęt, armatura
flat - gładki
fortnight - dwa tygodnie
grudge - żałować, zazdrościć; żal, uraza
gawp - gapić się
gritty - piaskowy, ziarnisty; odważny
havoc - zamieszanie
interval - przerwa, odstep, interwał
imperious - władczy; naglący
labour - wypracować
lurk - czaić się, szpiegowac
merit - zasługiwać; zasługa
manoeuvre - manewr; manewrować
obstacle - przeszkoda (obstacle race-bieg z przeszkodami)
outclass - przerastać, prześcigać; być czyimiś szefem
otherwise - inaczej, w innym wypadku
parry - odpierać, unikać
payroll - lista płac (także: paysheet)
peer - arystokrata, lord; człowiek równy drugiemu; wyglądać
provide - dostarczac
pitch - boisko
palm - dłon; palma; kraść; korumpować (to have an itching palm - być przekupnym)
plight - kłopoty, komplikacje; zaręczać się; obiecywać
ration - racja, przydział
refine - czyścić, szlifować, pucować
robust - mocny
rout - rozgromić, pogrom
rendezvous - spotkanie, spotkać się
scatty - bezmyślny, niemyslący logicznie (slang brytyjski)
subtle - subtelny, delikatny
sleek -gładki, lsniacy
stoppage - zatrzymanie, zacięcie się
suspend - zawiesić (w prawach, obowiązkach etc.)
struggle - zmagać się, zwalczac
sear - spalić, wypalić, przypalić
throwback - regresja, cofanie się; opóźnienie
thwart - udaremniać, krzyżować
trickery - oszukiwanie, nabieranie
utter - całkowity, totalny, absolutny; mówić, wyrazac, wymawiać
virtuoso - wirtuoz
wretch - biedna, mizerna osoba; niegodziwiec, nikczemnik
wasteful - marnotrawny
wreak - zadawać; przeprowadzać, wykonywać
