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Birthday boy Solskjaer leads Man Utd's 5-1 rout of NantesPosted: Tuesday February 26, 2002 4:46 PMUpdated: Tuesday February 26, 2002 7:07 PM
MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Ole Gunnar Solksjaer celebrated his 29th birthday by scoring two goals as Manchester United thrashed Nantes 5-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday. The win puts the 1999 titlist in a comfortable position to qualify for the quarterfinals of the tournament after David Beckham, Mikael Silvestre and Ruud van Nistelrooy also scored at Old Trafford. Frederic da Rocha had opened the scoring for Nantes. United leads group A with eight points. Bayern Munich also has eight points after beating Boavista 1-0 in Germany. The loss ended any hopes of Nantes advancing, with the club starting the match at the bottom of the group with one point. Two more matches remain in the second phase. "We pushed them with some great attacking football," said United manager Alex Ferguson. "Up front we were absolutely brilliant. "The front players were a real threat and even young Diego [Forlan] when he came on did fantastically well for us tonight." Nantes came out fighting early a week after the teams drew 1-1 in France. The defending French champion came close in taking the lead within three minutes , when centerback Mauro Cetto's header hit the crossbar and Reds 'keeper Fabien Barthez saved Pierre-Yves Andre's shot from the rebound. Nantes opened the scoring in the 17th minute after breaking upfield from a United corner. Andre crossed from the left and Da Rocha scored from 10 yards (meters) out. United equalized two minutes later, with Beckham scoring from his favored free-kick position from 25-yards (meters) after van Nistelrooy was fouled. The home side then dominated the match. In the 31st minute, van Nistelrooy raced down the right to cross to Ryan Giggs at the back post. The Welsh winger nodded the ball for Solksjaer to score. Solksjaer had started only his second Champions League match of the season. Another Beckham free-kick helped United to a 3-1 lead. The England captain's touchline kick found Silvestre who scored with a header into the roof of the net in the 38th minute. Van Nistelrooy scored his 29th goal of the season by converting a penalty in the 63rd minute after he was fouled by Nestor Fabbri. Soon after the Dutchman was substituted for recent signing Diego Forlan, with defender Laurent Blanc also rested for Ronny Jonsen. Solksjaer scored his second goal in the 78th minute, glancing home another Beckham free-kick. Ferguson hails two goal SolskjaerAlex Ferguson heaped praise on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the Norwegian striker netted twice in Manchester United's 5-1 Champions League defeat of Nantes on Tuesday. Solskjaer, celebrating his 29th birthday, was in top form as Ferguson's side came back from a goal down to outclass the French Champions. "Ole has had a fantastic season. He's getting stronger and his understanding of the game is improving all the time," Ferguson said of the player who has scored six times in his last six matches. "He was tactically terrific tonight and that was important to us as he took up good positions in the game." Nantes took a deserved early lead in the 16th minute through Frederic Da Rocha only for David Beckham to reply within seconds with a stunning free-kick. Solskjaer headed home from close range and Mikael Silvestre powered through a pack of players to nod in the third. After the interval Ruud van Nistelrooy scored his second penalty in two games against Nantes before Solskjear added the fifth with a glancing header. Van Nistelrooy's goal was his eighth of the season in Europe and brought him level with Dwight Yorke's record -- set when United won the European Cup in 1999. It was also his 30th goal of the season, making him the first United player to reach that mark since Brian McClair in 1987/88. But surprisingly Ferguson revealed he was ready to drop the Dutchman, who was substituted against Nantes, for the clash with Derby on Sunday to ensure he does not suffer from tiredness. "We gave him 25 minutes rest tonight and that's something we can do," he added. "We have a game on Sunday and Wednesday and I may rest him for one of those." Deserved reward Ferguson also claimed United were now getting the results their performances in Europe has merited. "We have performed well in Europe this year and it's possible we are now getting our rewards," Ferguson said. "To score five goals in a European tie these days is good going." Nantes coach Angel Marcos felt the result might not have been so severe if his side had managed to hold their lead for longer. "We have a young side and we should have closed the game down a little bit more after the first goal," he said. "To be 3-1 down at halftime was harsh, but in the second period it was easy for United. It is never good to lose 5-1, although it is some solace to lose to such a good side like United. "But we can't dwell on this if we are to solve our problems in the league." Marcos went on to claim United would struggle against Europe's top sides unless they improved the balance of their play. "When you consider that Nantes created seven or eight decent changes United need a balance between their attack and defense," said Marcos. "They are good at going forward but against better sides they may have problems in defense." SummaryManchester United 5 Nantes 1 -- result Champions League second stage, Group A Scorers: Manchester United -- David Beckham 18, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 31, 78, Mikael Silvestre 38, Ruud van Nistelrooy 64pen Nantes -- Frederic Da Rocha 17 Halftime: 3-1; Attendance: 66,492 Teams: Manchester United: 1-Fabien Barthez; 2-Gary Neville, 3-Denis Irwin, 6-Laurent Blanc (5-Ronny Johnsen 69), 27-Mikael Silvestre; 7-David Beckham, 4-Juan Sebastian Veron, 16-Roy Keane (8-Nicky Butt 75), 11-Ryan Giggs; 10-Ruud van Nistelrooy (21-Diego Forlan 69), 20-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Nantes: 1-Mickael Landreau, 24-Yves Deroff, 35-Mauro Cetto, 2-Nestor Fabbri, 22-Sylvain Armand, 25-Jean-Hughes Bilayi Ateba (19-Marama Vahirua 62), 13-Matthieu Berson, 20-Eric Djemba-Djemba (15-Nicolas Savinaud 57), 29-Stephane Ziani (21-Olivier Quint 78), 11-Pierre-Yves Andre, 8-Frederic Da Rocha Referee: Manuel Gonzalez (Spain)
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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