Manchester United earned their place in the Champions League group stage of 2007/2008 by winning the domestic title back from the clutches of consecutive holders Chelsea – the first Premier League trophy since 2003.
The team Sir Alex Ferguson was building had predispositions to be one of the great sides: magnificent attack with Ronaldo, Rooney and Saha was getting the most of attention, but solid midfield base with Scholes, Giggs, Carrick and strong defensive unit which is often considered as one of the best United ever had (Van der Sar, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidić, Brown and O’Shea) were more than enough to ensure the football fans all over the world of the ambitions of the Old Trafford club.
United had managed to reach the semi-finals the previous season, having beaten Roma in most astonishing fashion, but were stopped in their tracks by AC Milan, losing 3-0 in the away leg and missing out on a chance to play against Liverpool, who did lose the final, which offered consolation to United
Ferguson was active in the summer transfer market and bought some promising players. The signing of Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich was a statement of intent as he was one of the best in the world in his position. Two exciting young players came from the Portuguese league: Nani and Anderson, who arrived for combined fee of 30 million pounds from Sporting and Porto, but the real coup was the signing of Carlos Tevez, a sharp, aggressive Argentinean forward. Tevez quickly found his way into the starting eleven ahead of the injury-prone Louis Saha and has never looked back since.
As a top seeded team, United were drawn in the group F, alongside their previous season’s opponent Roma, Portuguese runners-up Sporting Lisbon and Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kyiv. The stature of the opponents seemed just about right for that phase of the competition and United didn’t expect any problems. The first match of the group stage was played in Portugal where Sporting proved to be a difficult side to beat. United managed to clinch a narrow win which was secured with a diving header from ex-Sporting man Cristiano Ronaldo, converting Wes Brown’s cross.
Ferguson was pleased with the win, aware of the man-of-the-match performance by Van der Sar and the threat Portuguese team posed to his players. The real test came on match day two, when Roma came to Manchester in a pursuit of redemption. There was no festival of goals this time around. The only goal of the night came after 70 minutes and was scored by Rooney who slammed Nani’s pass into the far corner of the goal.
United found their goalscoring edge in the two matches against Dynamo, who conceded 8 goals between the two fixtures. The exhausting trip to eastern Europe didn’t prove to be a problem for the boys in red, who found themselves with a comfortable 2-0 lead after a rare Ferdinand goal and a tap-in from Rooney. The home team gave United a scare by pulling a goal back before Giggs and Ronaldo combined wonderfully to bring the score to 3-1. United finished the job in the second half, Ronaldo scoring a penalty and the game finishing 4-2. The return game at Old Trafford saw United qualify for the next round with an easy 4-0 win, and with two games to spare.
With qualification secured, Ferguson sent out an experimental team in the home match against Sporting, but it didn’t pan out according to plan, as the visitors shocked Old Trafford with a first half goal which second choice goalkeeper Tomas Kuszczak should have done better with. Half-time substitutions worked out for United, as Tevez scored just after the hour mark, but other chances were not converted. In injury time, Anderson was fouled some 35 yards out, and Ronaldo stepped up to take the free-kick. The curve of ball fooled the keeper who was wrong footed by the effort and could not manage a dive to his left to make the save.
Ronaldo had scored the winner against his former club for a second time and secured United’s top spot in the group before their final game. A number of youth academy players and second-string senior players got the opportunity to play at Olympic Stadium in Rome in a meaningless match for both sides, who had advanced through to next stage of the competition. Pique scored for United in a low intensity game that ended in 1-1 draw. United were drawn against French champions Lyon in the first knock-out round of the Champions League.
Lyon proved to be a tough opponent for United who were suffering a bit of a domestic goal drought at the time. Away at Stade de Gerland, the Reds struggled to create many opportunities and after a mediocre first half came a much better second. French wonderkid Karim Benzema, who was at the time being linked with United, scored with a measured left-foot finish past van der Sar. However, Sir Alex Ferguson reacted with a double-switch that paid off just minutes before the final whistle. Carlos Tevez volleyed home a scrappy ball to provide the vital away goal for his team.
In the return leg, the French side opted for a tirade of counter-attacks, hoping for the breakaway amid endless attacks from the home side. It was United’s attacking approach that paid off though, as Ronaldo scored just minutes before half-time. Lyon gave United a much more nerve-wrecking second half but couldn’t muster the goal they needed, which meant United went through despite two unimpressive performances.
Roma were to be United’s potential barrier for the third time in a year after the draw for the quarter finals, and having good memories of their Italian opposition, the Reds could already envisage being in a European semi-final for the second season running. The tie was all but over after the first leg.
Vidic’s early injury didn’t stop the rampant United, as Scholes crossed the ball for Ronaldo in full-sprint who headed it home. van der Sar and an attacking formation change helped the visitors in their pursuit of victory that was imminent after Rooney managed to squeeze in heavily deflected ball. United could and should have scored more, but 2 away goals were great foundation to build on, knowing the solidity of United’s defence in Europe. Ferguson gambled with his team selection for the second leg, saving the best players for the important league matches that were to come and it nearly went wrong for him. The Reds missed a number of quality chances and when everybody expected them to finally score, Roma were awarded a penalty on the half-hour-mark, which De Rossi blazed over, to the great relief of the Old Trafford faithful. The guests had created more chances in the second half, but United were composed enough to resist. Late on, Tevez dived in to head Hargreaves’ precise cross and put the tie to bed, meaning a heavyweight clash against Barcelona awaited the Red Devils.
The La Liga giants with their exhilarating style of play were possibly the toughest opponents left in the competition. An attacking trio that consisted of Henry, Eto’o and a young Lionel Messi alongside a powerful midfield boasting Xavi and Iniesta guaranteed a mouth-watering match, but only resulted in a very cagey tie. Manchester United almost shocked Camp Nou when they got a penalty for a hand-ball, which was missed by Ronaldo. The rest of the game was something to be forgotten and even more attention was put on the deciding game in Manchester. A moment that indicated United were capable of big things came in the 14th minute of the home tie. A thunderous shot from United legend and fan favourite Paul Scholes found the top corner from 25 yards, beating Victor Valdes all ends up. The home side weren’t at their best going forward for the rest of the game though, which was understandable bearing in mind a number of recent injuries. Barcelona had most of the possession but immense defensive display from whole United team stopped the Catalonians from scoring in 180 minutes of football and saw the English side reach their second final in just three seasons. In an early clash of modern titans, Messi and Ronaldo, the former prevailed, but the latter found himself playing in his first Champions League final, against Chelsea, who reached Moscow themselves by preventing United’s biggest rivals Liverpool from playing in their second consecutive final.
Manchester United v. Chelsea, Stadium Luzhniki in Moscow, 21 of May 2008.
What is left to say about this legendary match? The rainy night in Russia which every United fan remembers fondly gave the third and to this day, the latest European title the Red Devils have won.
A headed goal by Ronaldo, almost an identical copy of one in Rome was cancelled out by Lampard’s equaliser just before half time. It was a feisty affair, and resulted in a late extra-time red card for Chelsea’s talisman, Didier Drogba, which gave the slightest edge to the Reds ahead of the nerve-wracking penalty shoot out situation – a way no team wants to lose.. That famous slip by John Terry in the most crucial of moments in the shootout prolonged the drama that had been severely increased with Ronaldo’s awful attempt from the spot. Seven penalties each were needed to divide the opponents and that number proved to be lucky for Edwin van der Sar who stopped Anelka’s tame effort to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Tevez, Carrick, Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson, Giggs and of course, the Dutchman in goal were the shootout heroes of that unforgettable night, with John Terry by a long way Chelsea’s villain.
When remembering that incredible Champions League campaign, appreciation of that generation grows even more. The team balance and incredible record in defensive stats (only six goals conceded in 13 games, two in knock-out phase!) were the key in United’s unbeaten campaign.
