Rangers vs Manchester United, 2010-11 UEFA Champions League, 2010 First Phase

· UEFA Champions League

Rangers

FT
0 - 1

Manchester United

87': Wayne Rooney (P)

About

Rangers are hosting Manchester United at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland, starting on . The match is a part of the UEFA Champions League.

Match Commentary

0': You can read a preview of the game, and we'll be talking you through all the action from 1945 GMT.
0': The big news of the day is that Wayne Rooney makes his first start for over a month, playing alongside Dimitar Berbatov, while Ryan Giggs returns from injury.
0': While Ferguson has rested Ferdinand and Vidic, it doesn't look like he's prepared to risk too many fringe players further up the field after the 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
0': Carrick, Scholes and Nani make up a strong-looking midfield, while Van der Sar remains in goal.
0': For Rangers, Walter Smith had said he may abandon the 4-5-1 formation that has served his side so well in the competition if Sasa Papac joined Madjid Bougherra on the sidelines.
0': He seems to have stuck with it, though, despite Papac's absence. Kyle Lafferty and Maurice Edu are also out.
0': Kenny Miller, who hasn't scored in the competition for 14 games, starts alone up front and will be eager to carry his domestic form through onto the European stage.
0': Steven Davis is, apparently, going to play at right-back.
0': Whether that means 4-5-1 becomes 5-4-1 remains to be seen.
0': The players are now heading out onto the pitch.
1': Manchester United get the match underway.
1': There's a feisty atmosphere, as you'd expect for a Battle of Britain, and hopefully we'll get a lively game.
2': Kyle Hutton plays a loose ball back towards his own goal, but there's nothing doing for United.
2': Berbatov goes down under a challenge from makeshift wing-back Davis, and it should be a penalty. The ref waves away the appeals.
4': Evans puts in a rough challenge on Miller, but the striker was offside. He'll be looking to make an impression tonight alongside Smalling.
5': Some boos for Rooney as he gets the ball. He gives it away, incidentally.
6': Giggs looks to slip a ball through the centre to Rooney, but Whittaker mops up.
7': Berbatov gets on the end of Fabio's cross from the left, but his header is straight at McGregor.
8': Nani goes down in the area as Weiss gives him a push in the face in a tussle for the ball. Nani has a facial injury and wants people to know.
10': Scoles unleashes a rocket from distance, but Weir is there to stop it in its tracks. United are on top for the moment.
10': Miller nearly fashions a chance but the danger is quickly dealt with by the makeshift United defence.
11': Nani puts a cross in towards Berbatov at the far post, but Rangers deal with it.
13': Scholes has given the ball away several times already, largely while trying ambitious passes, but it's not been his best showing of the season so far.
14': Berbatov makes room for a cross and earns a corner via a Weir clearance.
15': Carrick angles a ball in towards goal and Weir again heads behind.
15': McGregor claims the corner.
16': Miller passes up a good chance to end his Champions League drought as he heads tamely wide from Weir's knock-on.
17': Rooney finds Scholes outside the area. The midfielder looks to loft one in for Giggs, but there's too much on it.
19': Scholes puts a typically Scholesy challenge in on McCulloch.
21': We're lacking any real incisive play from either side right now. Rangers have been sloppy while, with Scholes not top of his game, United are struggling to pick them open.
22': Rooney - still attracting boos - puts in a fierce cross from the left after a neat backheel from Fabio, but it's headed clear.
24': Scholes plays a decent-looking long ball for Rooney, but Broadfoot heads away. Berbatov then races back - yes, races - to help out defensively.
25': Rooney is released and has the chance to get beyond Broadfoot, but he tries a hopeful shot and has to settle for the corner.
25': The ref spots some barging in the area as Smalling jumps into Whittaker and Rangers win a free-kick.
27': Miller thinks he's won a corner - and should have done as it flicked off Evans - but it's a goal kick to United.
29': Berbatov has looked vexed all night, the latest cause being Broadfoot blocking him off as he shepherded the ball out of play.
30': Rangers win a free-kick for a foul on Naismith. They could try a shot on goal here.
32': Weiss floats it in for Weir, but Evans eases him away from it - fouls him, basically - and it's out for a goal kick.
33': Giggs fires in a first-time cross from the left and it's out for another corner.
34': Giggs curls it out to the edge of the area, but Miller reads it and races away to the halfway line with the ball.
35': Nani fires a pass for O'Shea inside the area but there's too much on it and the defender has to hurdle it in the absence of any other ideas.
35': Giggs puts in an inswinger from the right but Weir heads it away.
37': Nani and Carrick trade passes to find a way through in a really tight space, but Nani blazes well over.
40': Fabio stands the ball up for Rooney, who rises well to head the ball onto the top of the bar!
41': Davis looks to thread the ball through, but Smalling intercepts.
42': Miller gets away and, from a tight angle, he looks to beat Van der Sar with a shot from the outside of the boot, but the 'keeper saves for a corner.
43': The corner's cleared. That was the best chance of the game for either side and Miller might feel he could have made more of it.
43': Scholes looks for O'Shea on the right, but O'Shea's quite clearly fouled by Weiss and it goes out of play. No free-kick, as is to be expected with the subtler fouls.
45': Giggs puts a cross into the centre but Rangers break on the counter before losing possession, which has been a bit of a running theme in the first half.
45': That's the end of the first half.
45': United should have had a penalty early on, Rooney hit the bar and Miller spurned a couple of good chances for the hosts, but there's not been a huge amount of great football from either side as yet.
45': Are we heading for another stalemate? Join us again for the second half.
46': The second half is underway!
46': Nani wins a free-kick from Hutton in a potentially dangerous position.
47': Rooney steps up to take it and it's a decent enough effort, curling wide of goal.
48': Rooney gets a second bite of the cherry as he heads Carrick's cross into the air before rising to direct it on goal. Not a lot of power in it, though.
50': United win a corner.
51': The corner, towards the near post, is easily dealt with.
51': Giggs looks to feed the ball in for Berbatov but, again, the attempted throughball doesn't come off.
53': Giggs gets a cross away into the centre and finds Berbatov by the penalty spot, but the ball comes in at a difficult height and he gets it all wrong.
55': United come away on the counter and carve open a chance for Carrick but, clean through in the area, McGregor denies him.
57': Rooney puts in a determined burst down the line and, while he's barged off it, he wins a corner.
57': The corner comes towards Smalling but it's headed clear.
57': There's a mix-up in the United defence between Evans and Van der Sar and Naismith nips in, but the 'keeper does very well indeed to deny him.
59': At the other end, Berbatov escapes Broadfoot and fires in a shot on the turn, earning a corner.
59': Nani's corner is cleared.
60': Scholes play a fine ball through for Nani, who looks to cut it back but has to settle for another corner.
61': The corner goes short to Nani but Weiss dispossesses him before a mix-up allows Nani back in. Again, though, he can't take advantage.
62': Rangers break free but Miller fails to find Naismith, who was racing away.
63': It's been a really entertaining second half - presumably because Rangers know they need to win given the Valencia score.
64': O'Shea plays a deep cross towards Berbatov but McGregor claims.
65': A misplaced pass puts Berbatov in possession, and he find Scholes within shooting range, but he can't find the space and the move breaks down.
67': Paul Scholes comes off to be replaced by Anderson. Not the man I'd have brought on in this situation, but we'll see.
68': Fabio blocks off Naismith as he looks for the one-two with Miller and they could give Van der Sar a problem with this free-kick.
69': Weiss puts it in, but it's easily headed away.
69': Nani applies the pressure on Foster and appears to have won a corner, but the ref has given a free-kick for a push.
71': Rooney - who has had a good game - attempts a shot from distance and it ends up in row Z.
72': Davis plays the ball into the area for Miller, who does well but is surrounded by three defenders, which is always going to be a problem.
73': Rooney floats the ball into the area for Berbatov, whose header fails to trouble McGregor.
74': Giggs chips across for Berbatov but Weir is there again to head behind.
74': Rangers have trouble with the corner, but Berbatov's left-footed shot is blocked and, when it comes back into the area, Rooney's diving header is well wide.
75': Berbatov chips in a clever little ball over the defence for Rooney to unleash a shot, but he can't make a decent connection with his left boot.
77': Berbatov goes off for Hernandez, while Nani is replaced by Obertan.
77': Hernandez certainly looks like the right man for the occasion, and Ferguson will be hoping for a bit of spark from Obertan.
79': Carrick has delusions of grandeur and fires a shot a long way out a long, long way over the bar.
79': Youngster John Fleck replaces Weiss.
82': Giggs chips a hopeful ball into the centre, but nothing doing.
83': Hutton is booked for a late tackle on Fabio.
83': Rooney does well to create some space with his first touch before curling a ball just over the bar. And it seems it deflected - corner kick.
84': Giggs' corner is headed back towards the Welshman, and he then loses the ball. Goal kick.
85': Penalty to United!
85': Fabio heads the ball across goal from the edge of the area, but he's kicked in the face by Naismith. Rooney will take it.
87': GOAL Rooney scores!
87': It's an excellent penalty, driven into the bottom corner, and his performance tonight probably warranted a goal. He's mobbed amid wild celebrations.
88': Beattie comes on for Hutton as Rangers seek a late equaliser.
88': Rooney races away down the line, skipping past his marker, before putting in a cross for Hernandez. It's out for a corner.
89': Hernandez is given the chance to double the lead as Davis heads back into his direction, but his shot is straight at McGregor.
90': The ball sits up nicely for Naismith on the edge of the area, but Smalling gets an excellent block in.
90': Three minutes to be added on.
93': Evans gets another good block in as Rangers seek out an equaliser. Rooney is also back doing some good defensive work.
93': Whittaker is booked for a foul on Rooney.
93': It's all over!
93': Rooney's late penalty ends Rangers' Champions League hopes. It makes little difference to the equation as United still need a draw against Valencia to top the group and Rangers still go into the Europa League, but he'll be relieved to be on the scoresheet.
93': Thanks for joining us and stick with ESPNsoccernet for the report and post-match reaction.

Statistics

MAN		RAN
14	Fouls	7
0	Yellow Cards	3
0	Red Cards	0
0	Offsides	5
13	Corner Kicks	1
2	Saves	6
63.3	Possession	36.7
23	SHOTS	8
7	ON GOAL	2
0.3	On Target %	0.3
1	Penalty Goals	0
0	Penalty Kicks Taken	0
527	Accurate Passes	275
613	Passes	364
0.9	Pass Completion %	0.8
5	Accurate Crosses	4
34	Crosses	11
0.1	Cross %	0.4
55	Long Balls	46
41	Accurate Long Balls	23
0.7	Long Balls %	0.5
7	Blocked Shots	2
13	Effective Tackles	17
19	Tackles	23
0.7	Tackle %	0.7
0	Interceptions	0
7	Effective Clearances	24
14	Clearances	40

Game Information

Competition: UEFA Champions League

Venue: Ibrox Stadium
Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Line-Ups

Rangers (5-4-1)

No.	Name
1	Allan McGregor (GK)
4	Kirk Broadfoot
3	David Weir
16	Steven Whittaker
12	Richard Foster
8	Steven Davis
6	Lee McCulloch
41	Kyle Hutton
20	Vladimir Weiss
14	Steven Naismith
9	Kenny Miller

Rangers Substitutes:

Ross Perry, Gregg Wylde, James Beattie, Rory Loy, Neil Alexander, John Fleck.

Manchester United (4-4-2)

No.	Name
1	Edwin van der Sar (GK)
23	Jonny Evans
12	Chris Smalling
20	Fabio
22	John O'Shea
18	Paul Scholes
16	Michael Carrick
11	Ryan Giggs
17	Nani
10	Wayne Rooney
9	Dimitar Berbatov

Manchester United Substitutes:

Wes Brown, Gabriel Obertan, Ben Amos, Anderson, Javier Hernández, Patrice Evra, Federico Macheda.

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