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Sergio strikes late Bayern defeats Man Utd 1-0 at Old Trafford
Updated: Tuesday April 03, 2001 7:20 PM
MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Substitute Paulo Sergio came off the bench for the winner five minutes from the end on Tuesday to fire Bayern Munich to a 1-0 victory at Manchester United in a Champions Cup quarterfinal game. Just minutes after entering the game, the Brazilian midfielder was left unmarked at a free kick and lobbed the ball past French World Cup goalkeeper Fabien Barthez who had made three stunning saves to deny the Germans. Alexander Zickler also hit the crossbar as Bayern finally gained some payback from the 1999 Champions Cup final in Barcelona where United scored two goals in the last two minutes to snatch the trophy from under Bayern's noses for a 2-1 win. "It's good to score away. We are in a good position to win in Munich," said Bayern's French international defender, Bixente Lizarazu, who will miss the return leg after collecting another yellow card at Old Trafford. "We always start slowly and have problems in the first 20 minutes. After that we get better and better and finish strong. I hope that Bayern will qualify for the semifinal and that I will play again after that." Manchester United manager was disappointed at the way his team conceded such a sloppy late goal. "It was a terrible way to lose," he said. "It's disappointing, I thought we played well enough to win it. "But we are not out of it. We are capable of going there and scoring a goal and they have a couple of players missing. We have to make sure that we go there and perform properly." Steffen Effenberg saw plenty of the ball in midfield and Bayern was able to play its patient game, building from deep. When a shot from Jens Jeremies was deflected for a corner after 18 minutes, Swedish defender Patrick Andersson produced a long range header which was kicked off the line by Paul Scholes. United replied a minute later with a David Beckham pass to the unmarked Andy Cole whose shot bounced over the bar but Carsten Jancker forced Barthez to make a low save with a left-footed drive from Effenberg's pass. Beckham became the first player to receive a yellow card for a foul on Effenberg in the 23rd minute and it means he will miss the second leg in Munich in two weeks. The same applies to Bayern's Hasan Salihamidzic for a foul on Giggs minutes later. Effenberg was the third player to be cautioned when he and Beckham clattered into each other and Spanish referee Antonio Jesus Lopez Nieto didn't accept the German's claim that he had been fouled. A free kick by Effenberg from inches outside the area shaved the United crossbar just two minutes into the second half before Barthez acrobatically finger-tipped a shot from Giovane Elber over the bar. At the other end, Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn dived at the foot of the near post to block a low shot from Mikael Silvestre but Bayern again went close when Jeremies fired a superb 25-yard (meter) drive only for Barthez to fly through the air for another spectacular finger-tip save. The Frenchman produced another stunning save 16 minutes from the end when Jeremies got free down the left and Barthez flung his arms skywards to push his angled shot over the bar. Zickler, on for Jancker, almost put the Bundesliga leader ahead with eight minutes to go when he fired a right-foot volley against the crossbar. But the Germans made the breakthrough with five minutes to go when Effenberg fired in a free kick and, when Thomas Linke headed the ball into the danger area, Paulo Sergio was left unmarked to prod it home for a priceless away goal for when the two teams meet again in Munich's Olympic stadium in two weeks time. Hitzfeld: Not through yetBayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said the Champions League quarterfinal against Manchester United was not over despite the win. Paulo Sergio's goal four minutes from time helped Bayern gain some revenge for losing the 1999 final against United. But Hitzfeld, who won the trophy in 1997 with Borussia Dortmund after beating United in the semifinals, refused to accept Bayern now hold the upper hand. He said: "I know our chances of winning the tie have not increased despite winning here. No one can say we are through. It's still 50-50 and whichever team performs on the day in the second game will be the decisive factor. "It was always our aim to score here though as United are capable of scoring away from home." Hitzfeld, a close friend of United manager Alex Ferguson, said his tactical planning had paid off. "We played a very compact system and left little room. If you give them open spaces they can punish you very quickly. "But there are no thoughts of revenge for me though, and although we missed other chances I won't be annoyed about that unless we lose the tie. At the moment I am very satisfied." Ferguson felt his side lost their penetrative edge at the start of the second half and said Ryan Giggs not at full fitness was a key factor. "They made changes at halftime," he said. "That stopped our supply to the front players. Ryan Giggs should have played a bigger part at that point. "He needs games and was maybe tired. When you are out at the top level for a long time and then have a few games there is a reaction to that. "He will be in a better physical position when we go over there." Bayern's goal came from a set piece, with Alexander Zickler heading on Stefan Effenberg's free kick to allow the unmarked Sergio to score from close range. Ferguson added: "It was disappointing to concede a goal from a set piece. We spoke about it before the game as they are very good at them." Both sides will be without key men for the second leg after picking up bookings. United midfielder David Beckham, along with Bayern's Bixente Lizarazu and Hasan Salihamidzic will be suspended. SummaryScorer: Paulo Sergio 86 Halftime: 0-0; Attendance: 66,584 Teams: Manchester United: 1-Fabien Barthez; 2-Gary Neville, 6-Jaap Stam, 24-Wes Brown, 27-Mikael Silvestre; 7-David Beckham (19-Dwight Yorke 87), 16-Roy Keane, 18-Paul Scholes, 11-Ryan Giggs; 9-Andy Cole, 20-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Bayern Munich: 1-Oliver Kahn; 25-Thomas Linke, 4-Sammy Kuffour, 5-Patrik Andersson, 3-Bixente Lizarazu; 20-Hasan Salihamidzic, 11-Stefan Effenberg, 7-Mehmet Scholl (13-Paulo Sergio 76), 16-Jens Jeremies, 9-Elber, 19-Carsten Janker (21-Alexander Zickler 69) Referee: Antonio Nieto Lopez (Spain)
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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