×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Mourinho, Fergie target second leg

Sport
MADRID — Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho insisted yesterday that the Champions League duel with Manchester United, which will probably decide his fate and legacy in Spain, is far from finished.

MADRID — Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho insisted yesterday that the Champions League duel with Manchester United, which will probably decide his fate and legacy in Spain, is far from finished.

Supersport

The two sides battled out a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Bernabeu, a result which should give United a slight edge ahead of the return at Old Trafford on March 5.

But Mourinho, already a Champions League-winning coach with Porto and Inter Milan, backed his Real team to score again in Manchester.

“We can definitely score at Old Trafford, many teams have done already this season and they’ll know that,” Mourinho said, whose side fell behind to a Danny Welbeck goal on Wednesday before former United star Cristiano Ronaldo levelled.

The Portuguese coach was defiant about the pressure facing him going into the second leg.

“I don’t feel pressure, I work well to do my best job. Real Madrid can score goals away. Life goes on. See you all in three weeks’ time,” Mourinho said.

United manager Alex Ferguson was the happier with his side’s performance and the result, picking out goalkeeper David De Gea, back in his home city, Welbeck and Phil Jones for special praise.

“I thought De Gea was excellent and made four or five top saves, but he’s been performing well all season, he’s done well,” Ferguson said.

“We would have taken 1-1 before the game. In the first-half I was disappointed at how deep we played, but the away goal is important. It’s not finished, but it gives us a good chance to go through.

“We had four attacking players in our team, so I think we came to win the game. We were deep especially in the first-half, but we made chances.

“We’ll play differently at home. They counter-attack very well, but we have goals in our team. It’s still 50-50, but the team that scores first will have a good chance.”

Asked why captain Nemanja Vidic, who has battled a knee injury for large parts of the season, did not start, Ferguson admitted that Jonny Evans and Rio Ferdinand were better options.

United took the lead against Real when Wayne Rooney’s corner was headed in by Welbeck in the 20th minute for the away goal Ferguson was looking for.

Real’s Ronaldo levelled on the half four for his seventh goal in seven matches, rising high for a powerful header after Patrice Evra failed to get off the ground from an Angel Di Maria cross.

Real, who had come close when Fabio Coentrao’s shot was touched onto the post by David de Gea in goal, finished the half strongly and De Gea was also busy in the second half, keeping out a Coentrao effort with his legs on the line in unorthodox fashion.

But Robin van Persie twice went close, first with a fierce shot tipped onto the bar by Diego Lopez and then, after Real failed to clear, the Dutch striker misconnected with an effort which was cleared off the line by Xabi Alonso.