Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Roon and Ron steal the show

LONDON — Two of the biggest stars in European football stole the show on Tuesday night (yesterday morning, Singapore time) as the leading contenders began the Champions League group stage with a bang by delivering a bonanza of goals.

LONDON — Two of the biggest stars in European football stole the show on Tuesday night (yesterday morning, Singapore time) as the leading contenders began the Champions League group stage with a bang by delivering a bonanza of goals.

Thirty successful strikes rained in all around Europe as Real Madrid trounced Galatasaray 6-1 in Istanbul, Manchester United beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 at Old Trafford, holders Bayern Munich and Manchester City notched easy 3-0 wins over CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen, and Paris St Germain hammered Olympiakos 4-1.

Almost every big-name player found the net — United’s Wayne Rooney (two goals) and Robin van Persie (one) combined for three, as did PSG’s Edinson Cavani (one) and Thiago Motta (two), while Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo decided to score three goals by himself.

Elsewhere, six different names got on the scoresheet for City and Bayern as Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure scored for the former English Premier League champions, while David Alaba, Arjen Robben and Mario Mandzukic found the net for the German giants.

But amid the galaxy of scoring stars, it was still Rooney and Ronaldo who dazzled the most.

Rooney shone not only because his two goals made him only the fourth United footballer to score 200 goals for the club — behind Bobby Charlton (249), Denis Law (237) and Jack Rowley (211) — but also because his all-round display, which included an assist for Antonio Valencia and a spectacular miss, showed that the 27-year-old England international is back at his best after a tumultuous summer.

He looked fit, refreshed and focused on the future which could one day see him overtake Charlton as United’s all-time top scorer and many of his qualities were on parade: The assured first touch, the deft pass and the refusal to be distracted by his second-half mistake when he sent an opportunity to make it 2-0 screaming across the face of goal.

Indeed, the standing ovation he received from the singing United supporters when he left the pitch six minutes before the end showed that the fans were once again in love with their one-time wantaway striker.

Tuesday night was also a victory for United manager David Moyes in many senses.

Not only was the win a convincing start to his first European campaign at United, but it also offered proof that his astute handling of the Rooney saga and the efforts he poured into persuading the striker to stay, have been richly rewarded.

And unlike his predecessor Alex Ferguson, who often played Rooney out of position last season as their relationship broke down, Moyes showed everyone how to bring the best out of the attacker, by setting the team up in 4-2-3-1 style that allowed Rooney to roam and plunder.

Much has been made by the media over Rooney’s subsequent refusal to provide a direct answer when asked during his post-match interview whether he was “happy” again.

“Listen, I’m concentrating on my football, as I’ve done all summer,” was his curt response to the reporter.

“I got my head down and worked hard to get myself fit and ready for the season. I’m delighted with the way I’ve come back, delighted that I’m back playing and scoring goals.”

But actions speak loud than words and Rooney’s performance will at least indicate that he is no longer distressed nor distracted — which should be good enough for United fans for now.

Likewise, Ronaldo showed that he is still the chief conductor at Real Madrid despite Gareth Bale’s arrival as the world’s most expensive footballer, with a dazzling hat-trick in the Spanish giants’ 6-1 triumph in Istanbul.

Particularly unstoppable in the second half, the 28-year-old found the net in the 63rd minute to give Real a 3-0 lead after Isco and Karim Benzema had scored in the first half. Three minutes later, he doubled his tally.

Benzema tried to keep pace with his team-mate by scoring again, but Ronaldo ensured in stoppage time that he would be the name on everyone’s lips after the game by weaving past three defenders before smashing the ball into the back of the net to complete his second Champions League hat-trick and the 23rd of his career.

Bale, who started on the bench, did see action in the second half and also played a part in Ronaldo’s second goal, but even his much-anticipated Champions League debut for Real was overshadowed by Ronaldo’s stunning display.

Before the game, Ronaldo had said that he believed this would be the year that Real finally end their quest for a long-awaited 10th European crown after last winning it in 2002.

After the match, he added: “Scoring six goals away, especially here, is a major achievement. It is a serious boost for our confidence ...

“The result speaks volumes.”

It certainly did — not just of Real’s intentions and the excess of talent coursing through their expensively-assembled squad, but also of Ronaldo’s status as their most important player, even if he is no longer their most expensive. AGENCIES

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.