Manchester United's Wayne Rooney for the
ball during their Champions League semi-final first leg soccer match in
Manchester April 24, 2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
LONDON,
April 24 (Xinhua) -- Wayne Rooney scored twice including an injury-time winner
to give Manchester United a 3-2 victory over AC Milan in their UEFA Champions
League semifinal first leg at home on Tuesday.
Rooney pulled United back into the match when he
leveled the score at 2-2 after 59 minutes and his winner gives United a narrow
advantage into the second leg in Milan next Wednesday.
Milan keeper Dida palmed a Cristiano Ronaldo header
into his own net in the fifth minute, before Brazilian Kaka put AC Milan ahead
2-1.
When United looked to be out of the tie, Rooney's
double has set up a pulsating decider at the San Siro next Wednesday.
The winners will face either Liverpool or Chelsea in
the final in Athens on May 23.
United manager Alex Ferguson said "I thought we
played some fantastic football and dominated the game. The equaliser gave us the
incentive to go on and win it and the late goal gives us a magnificent chance of
winning the tie now."
United, who lost to Milan 1-0 in the 2005 knockout
round, had to field a patched-up defence after injuries to Rio Ferdinand, Gary
Neville, Mikael Silvestre, Nemanja Vidic and Kieran Richardson.
United drew the first blood when Ronaldo met a Ryan
Giggs corner with a header that Dida parried into his own net.
Then came Kaka who latched on to Clarence Seedorf's
through-ball and rifled a low left-foot shot past Edwin van der Sar.
In the 37th minute, Kaka surged forward on a solo
run, outmaneuvering a string of United players to sweep the ball past ahelpless
Van der Sar from close range.
Kaka, the Champions League's top scorer this season,
took his tally to nine and left United facing their first home defeat since a
Premier League loss to Arsenal in September.
After Kaka lost two quick chances to reach his
hat-trick, Paul Scholes lifted a ball over the Milan's defense and Rooney was
able to chest it down before beating Dida from close range after the break.
Ronaldo, who won two domestic Player of the Year
awards, nearly won it for United in the closing stages with low shot that flew
just wide of the post.
However, Rooney made up for it by collecting a Giggs
pass on the break and steered a low shot past Dida to send Old Trafford into
ecstasy.
ROME, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Carlo Ancelotti promised Monday
that a "strong, determined" AC Milan will give Manchester United trouble in
Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at Old Trafford.
The six-time European champs are oozing confidence after
winning their last five games in all competitions and scoring 16 goals. Full story
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