Real
Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo between defenders Patrice Evra and Nemanja
Vidic. Ronaldo, a former United star, scored the winner for the
visitors.
MANCHESTER, England — Cristiano Ronaldo nudged the ball over the goal line from a sharp angle, then slid past the post and behind the net. As the small Real Madrid section of fans at Old Trafford roared, Ronaldo, who twirled his magic for Manchester United for six seasons before departing for Spain, held up his hands and asked for restraint.
It was, in many ways, surprising. After all, this was Ronaldo’s first
game at Old Trafford since he left United, and his goal with about 20
minutes remaining gave Madrid a 2-1 lead on the night, a 3-2 aggregate
lead in the two-game series and essentially secured its passage to the
Champions League quarterfinals. If ever there was a situation to
celebrate, this would seem to be it.
But Ronaldo stayed calm, as if not wanting to rub it in on his former
team. And on the sideline, his manager, José Mourinho, who memorably
sprinted along the touchline after his team scored an important goal
here nine years ago, stayed under control, too. For both, the reticence
seemed a tacit acknowledgment of the bizarre and contentious
circumstances that led to Real Madrid’s victory.
Even Ronaldo acknowledged that he was not the story of the night.
Neither was United Manager Alex Ferguson, who surprisingly left one of
his top scorers, Wayne Rooney, out of the starting lineup. Instead, it
was Cuneyt Cakir, a Turkish referee, who seized the spotlight in this
hotly anticipated Round of 16 showdown with a startling decision
to send off Manchester United midfielder Nani in the 56th minute. The decision left United to play the final half-hour with only 10 men.
Afterward, Ferguson was so enraged that he sent his assistant, Mike
Phelan, to meet with members of the news media. Phelan laughed when
asked if Ferguson had asked Cakir for an explanation. “I don’t think the
manager is in any state to speak to the official,” Phelan said with a
wan smile, adding that Ferguson was disturbed because he and the United
players thought they had played a near-perfect game tactically before
the red card.
Mourinho, speaking frankly, agreed. “In my opinion, the best team lost,”
he said simply, applauding United’s play and criticizing his players
for not responding until late in the match. Without the red card, United
might well have won, Mourinho said.
Two years ago, Mourinho and Real Madrid were victimized by a similarly disputed red card when Pepe was
sent off in a Champions League semifinal
against Barcelona. This decision was equally harsh, Mourinho said, and
he acknowledged that Cakir could have given Nani only a yellow card
after he lunged in with his foot waist-high in an effort to play the
ball away from Álvaro Arbeloa.
After the collision, both players rolled on the ground in apparent pain
and Cakir reached for his pocket as he waited for Nani to get up. At
that point, it seemed a yellow was coming.
But as United’s trainers helped Nani to his feet, Cakir showed a red. Nani stopped short, staring at the official, who is
highly regarded by the European association
and worked a semifinal at last year’s European Championships. A group
of United players sprinted at Cakir, screaming in anger. Ferguson
stormed down to the field from his seat on the bench, shouting and
pointing.
Replays showed there was significant contact between Nani’s foot and
Arbeloa, but by rule, Cakir had to determine that Nani had endangered
the safety of his opponent with the challenge. Simply being reckless
should have brought a yellow, which was United’s argument.
“The decision was amazing,” Phelan said, shaking his head.
After Nani departed, the game unraveled quickly for United, which had
stymied Real Madrid with a strong defensive effort and led by 1-0 on the
night and by 2-1 on aggregate after a Sergio Ramos own-goal early in
the second half. Ten minutes after Nani’s red card, though, Luca Modric
ripped a curving shot from about 25 yards, banking it into the net off
the goal post to tie the score.
Three minutes later, Gonzalo Higuaín whipped in a cross that found
Ronaldo, who had received a lengthy ovation from the United fans before
the match to acknowledge his return. When he turned the ball into the
net, however, the famed stadium went mostly silent as the goal all but
ended United’s hope of winning titles in both England and Europe.
“It was an emotional moment for me, for both games, but especially
tonight,” Ronaldo said in a television interview of facing his former
club.
United fans surely will not feel similarly tongue-tied when it comes to
Cakir, though the referee’s decision took the focus off Ferguson’s
decision to drop Rooney from his lineup. Ferguson, the United manager
since 1986, has a reputation for making unexpected choices, but leaving
out Rooney will surely be remembered as one of his most provocative.
Rooney, 27, has been at United since 2004, and although he has been
linked to the occasional transfer rumor — there were recent reports that
Paris St.-Germain might be interested — Rooney has maintained that he
is only interested in playing for the Red Devils. Match nights like
these, he has said, are what he most enjoys.
On Tuesday, however, he was a substitute, leaving Robin Van Persie as
the lone striker with the veteran Ryan Giggs, 39, who was making his
1,000th professional appearance, supporting him. Danny Welbeck, who
scored in the first leg, joined Nani on the wings.
Rooney finally entered in the 73rd minute, and he helped United press
for a miracle in the final moments. But Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego
López was stout as Los Blancos — who are essentially out of the Spanish
league title race — advanced to this tournament’s final eight.
Of course, none of the players’ performances will be remembered as much
as that of Cakir, whose decision brought a stream of vitriol from the
United players at the final whistle. Rio Ferdinand led a charge of
United players who stamped after Cakir, with Ferdinand sarcastically
applauding in the official’s face before being led away by his
teammates.
Afterward, none of the United players spoke to reporters, reportedly on
instructions from management. Ferguson also stayed away, remaining in a
dressing room that Phelan described as “very distraught.”
He added: “Playing Madrid with 11 men is very difficult. We feel very disappointed that we ended the game with 10 men.”
After years of Mercedes-Benz holding a complete secret over its new
luxury flagship, the "security" barrier was breached today as spy
photographers managed to sneak beyond "enemy" lines and take pictures of
a completely undisguised S-Class 222 model series.
