Obri
02-26-2003, 05:03 AM
Giggs puts United into quarter-finals
By Simon Evans
TURIN, Italy (Reuters) - Substitute Ryan Giggs has fired Manchester United into the Champions League quarter-finals after scoring twice in an emphatic 3-0 victory over Juventus in Group D of the second phase.
Tuesday's win, only United's second ever in Italy after their famous 3-2 win over Juventus in the 1999 semi-final, ended the Italian team's 10-match unbeaten home run in the Champions League and leaves Marcello Lippi's side with plenty of work to make the last eight.
Giggs began the game on the bench to save him for Sunday's League Cup final against Liverpool, but was sent on after only eight minutes following an ankle injury to Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan. Within seven minutes he had put United ahead.
The Welsh winger, linked with a move to Italian club Inter Milan this week, added a superb second four minutes before the break before he too was forced off with a thigh injury.
The man who replaced him, Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, followed suit adding the third in the 63rd minute.
"We didn't want to use him (Giggs)," Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson told ITV afterwards, "but we had to use him so early and he's put on a terrific performance.
"Unfortunately he's picked up a little injury and we hope we can be ready for next Sunday"
Although United, with Roy Keane excellent in an unfamiliar central defensive role, thoroughly deserved the victory Lippi will be furious that all three goals came from dreadful mistakes.
The first came when left back Gianluca Zambrotta stumbled on the ball and Juan Sebastian Veron took possession and the Argentine's simple pass was comfortably steered in by Giggs.
Just a minute before the goal Italian defender Ciro Ferrara had struck the post as he attempted to turn in a low shot from Pavel Nedved.
Unshaken by the goal the Italians quickly upped the tempo and had a claim for a penalty turned down when David Trezeguet went down as United defender John O'Shea whipped the ball off his foot as the Frenchman was poised to shoot.
Trezeguet then hit the crossbar with a looping back post header from a Mauro Camoranesi cross as Juve pushed forward in search of an equaliser.
Argentine-born Italy international Camoranesi was causing some trouble for United's defence and after wriggling into the area he forced a good save out of United keeper Fabien Barthez with a low shot in the 36th minute.
United should have gone further ahead after a swift counter-attack found Nicky Butt unmarked on the edge of the area, but the England midfielder fired his shot against the post.
It was only a temporary reprieve though as Giggs struck again. Juve's experienced midfielder Antonio Conte gifted him the ball on the halfway line and Giggs burst down the left.
As he cut inside, the back pedalling Juventus defence opened up in front of him and the Welshman raced diagonally into the area, before coolly slipping the ball past Gianluigi Buffon.
DOUBLE SWITCH
Lippi made a double switch at the break replacing Conte with Croatian Igor Tudor and introducing Chilean forward Marcelo Salas in place of Marco Di Vaio.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer almost added a third for United when his shot was turned narrowly wide by Buffon, but shortly afterwards the game was over as a contest.
Substitute Tudor had dropped back into the centre of defence while Ferrara received treatment and was straight away asked to deal with a harmless cross from Solskjaer but, under no real pressure, he chested the ball against his own post and substitute van Nistelrooy gleefully bagged the rebound.
"Without question this was another great performance by us," Ferguson added. "The experience they've picked up in European football was there in evidence tonight."
By Simon Evans
TURIN, Italy (Reuters) - Substitute Ryan Giggs has fired Manchester United into the Champions League quarter-finals after scoring twice in an emphatic 3-0 victory over Juventus in Group D of the second phase.
Tuesday's win, only United's second ever in Italy after their famous 3-2 win over Juventus in the 1999 semi-final, ended the Italian team's 10-match unbeaten home run in the Champions League and leaves Marcello Lippi's side with plenty of work to make the last eight.
Giggs began the game on the bench to save him for Sunday's League Cup final against Liverpool, but was sent on after only eight minutes following an ankle injury to Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan. Within seven minutes he had put United ahead.
The Welsh winger, linked with a move to Italian club Inter Milan this week, added a superb second four minutes before the break before he too was forced off with a thigh injury.
The man who replaced him, Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, followed suit adding the third in the 63rd minute.
"We didn't want to use him (Giggs)," Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson told ITV afterwards, "but we had to use him so early and he's put on a terrific performance.
"Unfortunately he's picked up a little injury and we hope we can be ready for next Sunday"
Although United, with Roy Keane excellent in an unfamiliar central defensive role, thoroughly deserved the victory Lippi will be furious that all three goals came from dreadful mistakes.
The first came when left back Gianluca Zambrotta stumbled on the ball and Juan Sebastian Veron took possession and the Argentine's simple pass was comfortably steered in by Giggs.
Just a minute before the goal Italian defender Ciro Ferrara had struck the post as he attempted to turn in a low shot from Pavel Nedved.
Unshaken by the goal the Italians quickly upped the tempo and had a claim for a penalty turned down when David Trezeguet went down as United defender John O'Shea whipped the ball off his foot as the Frenchman was poised to shoot.
Trezeguet then hit the crossbar with a looping back post header from a Mauro Camoranesi cross as Juve pushed forward in search of an equaliser.
Argentine-born Italy international Camoranesi was causing some trouble for United's defence and after wriggling into the area he forced a good save out of United keeper Fabien Barthez with a low shot in the 36th minute.
United should have gone further ahead after a swift counter-attack found Nicky Butt unmarked on the edge of the area, but the England midfielder fired his shot against the post.
It was only a temporary reprieve though as Giggs struck again. Juve's experienced midfielder Antonio Conte gifted him the ball on the halfway line and Giggs burst down the left.
As he cut inside, the back pedalling Juventus defence opened up in front of him and the Welshman raced diagonally into the area, before coolly slipping the ball past Gianluigi Buffon.
DOUBLE SWITCH
Lippi made a double switch at the break replacing Conte with Croatian Igor Tudor and introducing Chilean forward Marcelo Salas in place of Marco Di Vaio.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer almost added a third for United when his shot was turned narrowly wide by Buffon, but shortly afterwards the game was over as a contest.
Substitute Tudor had dropped back into the centre of defence while Ferrara received treatment and was straight away asked to deal with a harmless cross from Solskjaer but, under no real pressure, he chested the ball against his own post and substitute van Nistelrooy gleefully bagged the rebound.
"Without question this was another great performance by us," Ferguson added. "The experience they've picked up in European football was there in evidence tonight."