Everyone believed that the Porto versus Manchester United UEFA Cup quarter-final was going to be a breeze for Alex Ferguson's team. But it was Porto who had eliminated ManU in 2004.
Everyone believed that the Porto versus Manchester United UEFA Cup quarter-final was going to be a breeze for Alex Ferguson's team. But it was Porto who had eliminated ManU in 2004.
Finally it was time for the match to begin. The first leg of the tie was at Old Trafford, Manchester United's territory.
ManU were fresh from a nail-biting victory against Aston Villa. The match against Villa showed United's resolve. But complacency seemed to have seeped into the quarter-final.
Porto needed ManU to take them lightly and that's what happened. It is never easy to play against United at Old Trafford with close to 75,000 ManU supporters watching. But the Portuguese champions took the fight to the European champions, and how.
They struck within the first five minutes of the match.
It was only an error on their behalf that allowed Wayne Rooney to equalise for United. Porto gave United a run for their money throughout the match. The last 10 minutes turned out to be rather dramatic.
First, Carlos Tevez scored, to give United a 2-1 lead. When it seemed that this is how the match would end, Porto struck back in the last minute. Mariano scored. 2-2 is how the match ended.
Now, it will be a mountain to climb for the European champions when they travel to Porto. They will have their hands full.
If Porto can give a fight as stiff as this in front of such a huge hostile crowd, one can only sit back and imagine what United will be up against at Porto's Estadio do Drago.
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