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Grade A Manchester United beats Boavista 3-0 to top groupPosted: Tuesday March 19, 2002 5:10 PMUpdated: Tuesday March 19, 2002 11:04 PM PORTO, Portugal (AP) -- Manchester United clinched top spot in Champions League Group A with an impressive 3-0 win Tuesday at Boavista of Portugal on goals by Laurent Blanc, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and David Beckham. Manchester netted 12 points on a 3-3-0 record, winning the group on goal difference, and will avoid the other group winners in the draw for the quarterfinals. Boavista (1-2-3) collected five points. Manchester went into the game with wins in just two of its last 14 away games in the competition and without an away victory in the second phase, but it produced a superb performance and overwhelmed its opponent. Blanc got the opening goal from short range, the French defender shaking off his marker to meet Beckham's corner after 14 minutes. Manchester then cranked up the pressure on the Portuguese outfit. Beckham, Diego Forlan, and Solskjaer came close within a few minutes before a break by Ryan Giggs, the game's best player, split the Boavista defense and the Norwegian striker tapped in on the half hour. Meanwhile, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes quickly snuffed out the attacks from Boavista, which won only one second-phase game but had not lost at home this season. The home team's best effort came with a shot after 20 minutes which brought a spectacular save from Fabien Barthez. Joaquim Martelinho fouled Scholes in the area just after the interval and Beckham fired home his penalty kick. Manchester eased off the pace in the last 30 minutes. The English club traveled to Portugal without three leading players -- top scorer Ruud van Nistelrooy, captain Roy Keane and Argentine midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, who are all injured -- but played slick and ruthless attacking soccer which left the home side in disarray. "We were very relaxed, that was the key to it. During the first half we were very, very good, and for 15 to 20 minutes, there was some excellent football," United manager Alex Ferguson said after the match at the Bessa stadium in Oporto. "You're always happy to finish with zero against. "It was a good cushion, 2-0 [after the first half]. Boavista worked very hard, kept pressing the ball, kept trying, and it meant we were to always work ourselves. So I was very pleased with the result, and very pleased with a workmanlike performance by us," he added. Boavista trainer Jaime Pacheco was clearly disappointed his side did not salvage some pride before being evicted from the Champions League, as he had hoped before the game. "We have our own, very particular style of play and even in our league, we sometimes lose as well as win. We are out, but along with Roma, many top teams also fell by the wayside," he said. Ferguson said he was relieved that United's final top place in Group A meant they could not be drawn against Real Madrid in the quarterfinals. "The important thing is that we've avoided Real Madrid. After that, we'll take who we get," he said, noting that his side could face Arsenal, Liverpool, Porto or Panathinaikos. SummaryBoavista 0 Manchester United 3 - result Champions League second stage, group A Scorers: Laurent Blanc 14, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 29, David Beckham 50pen Halftime: 0-2; Attendance: 10,000 Teams: Boavista: 1-Ricardo Pereira; 23-Nuno Frechaut, 4-Paulo Turra, 5-Pedro Emanuel, 37-Erwin Sanchez, 19-Mario Loja, 25-Armando Petit, 7-Jorge Silva (16-Joaquim Martelinho 33), 8-Duda Ventura, 9-Serginho, 11-Elpidio Silva (30-Alexandre Goulart 20) (10-Marcio Santos 57) Manchester United: 1-Fabien Barthez; 2-Gary Neville, 5-Ronny Johnsen (12-Phil Neville 72), 6-Laurent Blanc (30-John O'Shea 72), 27-Mikael Silvestre, 7-David Beckham, 11-Ryan Giggs, 8-Nicky Butt, 18-Paul Scholes (28-Michael Stewart 57), 20-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, 21-Diego Forlan Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)
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