Italian Job Well Done
Capitulation. I find this word most apt to describe AC Milan’s performance at Old Trafford last night.
If Juventus is the Old Lady of Italian football, then the Rossoneri deserve the title of Old Man. A lacklustre display saw Manchester United brush past them to ease into the Champions League quarter-finals.
The tie was effectively over in the 13th minute as Wayne Rooney notched up his seventh successive headed goal. David Beckham himself would have been proud of Gary Neville’s cross for the opener. That might just have earned him another year’s contract extension.
From that point on, Leonardo’s side looked like they couldn’t wait to board the flight back home. With a team that looks like its good players are too old and its young players are mediocre at best, they neither threatened the home side nor looked bothered to preserve the club’s pride by avoiding a drubbing.
Ronaldinho appears to be following the typical Brazilian superstar’s path of peaking in his early twenties and self-destructing before the age of thirty.
Whereas the bug-toothed forward cut a forlorn figure on the pitch, Rooney furthered his growing legend with his 30th goal in an already remarkable season. It was fitting that this landmark was reached with a “pass of the season” candidate from Nani.
Park Ji-Sung deservedly finished off another delightful pass from Paul Scholes on the hour mark to signal the start of Beckham’s reunion party. All the money in the world will never buy the Glazer family the kind of reception he was given by the United faithful.
There was a tear in his eye as he came on in the second half. I’m not sure whether it was because of the ovation he was receiving or that his team was being walloped.
He showed just why fans continue to sing his name by working hard for a dejected outfit. Had his rasping volley been lower, the crowd might have urged Edwin Van der Sar to let it in for old time’s sake.
He cemented his status as one of Manchester’s favourite sons by leaving the pitch at the end wearing a green and gold scarf, a symbol of anti-Glazer protests. Publicity stunt or not, you know this man loves United and after last night, he now knows that the club still adores him as well.
Sir Alex Ferguson has boldly challenged the rest of Europe to stop his side, who seem driven to repeat the success in Moscow two years ago.
On paper, this United team is not the best in the competition but since when were football matches won on team sheets?
Rooney and company have spent the season proving that life does exist after Cristiano Ronaldo. He may have fulfilled his childhood dream of playing for Real Madrid, but trophies are more of a reality at his former club.
At least he will get good tickets if United makes it to the final at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 22!
I’m still holding out for a repeat of last year’s decider between the Red Devils and Barcelona. How sweet would it be for Rooney to cap off an exceptional campaign by lifting the continent’s most coveted trophy with Ronaldo sitting in the stands.
United fans should not take anything for granted though. They need only look at their counterparts in Milan and Madrid to see how the mighty have fallen.
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