Manchester United stuns Milan by four

A brace from Wayne Rooney sealed a 4-0 victory and an emphatic 7-2 aggregate scoreline as Manchester United romped past Milan at Old Trafford to clinch their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Rooney gave United the lead in just the 13th minute with a sublime glancing header, and the England forward netted his 30th goal of the season with a deft finish seconds after half-time to stun the visitors.
David Beckham was confined to the Milan bench from the outset, but the former United midfielder had to wait until his side were 3-0 down before he was introduced after Park Ji-Sung slammed a fierce shot beyond Christian Abbiati just before the hour-mark.
Darren Fletcher capped an imperious display from the English champions with a fourth goal in the 88th minute, and Milan and Beckham were left utterly shell-shocked at the final whistle.
Rooney almost gave the hosts the lead in the fourth minute as he swivelled on the edge of the Milan box to latch on to Antonio Valencia's cut back and fired a low shot which he dragged narrowly wide of Christian Abbiati's near post.
Milan were hardly subdued at the other end, as Andrea Pirlo whipped over a devilish delivery in the eighth minute which Nani inadvertently flicked over to Ronaldinho, but the Brazilian's header drifted narrowly wide.
Two minutes later, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who flanked Marco Borriello along with Ronaldinho, stole in at the back post beyond Patrice Evra to receive Thiago Silva's raking diagonal pass from the back, but his first touch was sloppy as the ball evaded him.
Neville was preferred to Rafael at right-back for United, and Sir Alex Ferguson's decision was vindicated as the skipper picked out Rooney with a pinpoint cross from the right as United stamped their authority on the match in the 13th minute.
Rooney's exquisitely-timed run caught Daniele Bonera napping as the forward climbed above his marker to glance a deft finish beyond a helpless Abbiati and score his third headed goal in the tie.

Milan looked devoid of ideas in attack as they sought to redress the balance of the tie and, as Ronaldinho and Huntelaar were dragged outwide to gain possession, Borriello was left increasingly isolated and stifled for space.
Veteran midfielder Clarence Seedorf was introduced at half-time as the Rossoneri looked to inject some impetus into their midfield, but it was United who began the half in sparkling fashion.
Nani surged down the left wing at blistering pace before the Portugese's precise cut back was dabbed past the onrushing Abbiati by Rooney with the utmost swagger and composure.
Milan were left horribly exposed as their three-pronged attack offered about as much defensively as they did in forward areas, and United capitalised in the 59th minute to kill the tie.
Paul Scholes found Park in behind Marek Jankulovski, and the midfielder's low shot fizzed into the bottom corner to make it three in the 59th minute as the hosts were rampant.
Then ensued a procession of substitutions as both managers recognised that the tie had been effectively decided, and the first to make his entrance was Beckham, to a standing ovation from the Old Trafford crowd.
Rooney was withdrawn to a rapturous reception as the forward was denied a potential second hat-trick, and Paul Scholes and Neville departed swiftly afterwards.
The evening was capped off by Fletcher in the 88th minute as the midfielder capitalised on more shoddy defending by the visitors to turn home Rafael's deep cross and make it four.
United swagger through to the quarter-finals after humbling Milan over the two legs, as Rooney yet again established himself as one of the world's most potent attacking forces.

Manchester United came from behind

Manchester United came from behind to win a thrilling Champions League last-16 first leg 3-2 away to Milan thanks to a Wayne Rooney headed brace.

Milan took an early lead through a deflected Ronaldinho volley only to see a fortunate Paul Scholes strike level matters before half-time.
Rooney finished both headers brilliantly for a 3-1 lead before substitute Clarence Seedorf, who had replaced starter David Beckham, flicked in at the near post to set up a late charge from the hosts.
Michael Carrick was sent off after picking up a second yellow card in injury-time.
The vociferous home fans were given an electric start by their side when Brazilian magician Ronaldinho, in form and always with an eye for the quickest route to goal, watched the ball drop near the corner of the box.
His volley to the near post was covered by Edwin van der Sar but struck Carrick and spun in past the Dutchman's outstretched leg.
The chance had arrived following a Beckham free-kick from near halfway on the right which was almost cleared by the scissor-kicking Patrice Evra. Beckham, facing his boyhood side for the first time, was restricted to angled drives from deep throughout his 72 minutes on the field.
United saw a fair bit of the ball but struggled to create anything in the final third whereas Milan were more incisive on the counter, led by the resurgent Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato.
The former went past Rio Ferdinand on the edge of the box following a couple of stepovers and could have had a free-kick or even penalty as he was blocked off the ball.
At the other end Rooney was becoming frustrated by Nani's inability to deliver an accurate cross. The striker was booked before the break.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar fired wide for Milan after spinning off Ferdinand and on to a Massimo Ambrosini pass and it looked like only one side would be capable of scoring on the night.

United had not scored in four visits to face Milan in the San Siro in Europe, but that was to change on 36 minutes when Scholes angled into the penalty area.
Darren Fletcher, played in by Park Ji-Sung on the right, found his run and the ball came off Scholes's supporting leg after he missed his volley with his right foot.
Ronaldinho tested Van der Sar with a dipping strike after turning away from a double United challenge in midfield and he also went close 16 minutes into the second half, a dipping strike just palmed past the far post.
Before that Andrea Pirlo's perfect strike from 35 yards out was also tipped away by the keeper while Pato headed over from a Giuseppe Favalli cross when left unmarked near the penalty spot.

Milan midfielder David Beckham set for return to Manchester United

David Beckham is in line for a return to face his old club Manchester United after Milan were drawn against the Premier League side in the last 16 of the Champions League.

The England midfielder, who won the Champions League with United in 1999 before joining Real Madrid in 2003, will return to Milan in January for a second loan spell from Los Angeles Galaxy.

Beckham has not yet come up against the club where he made his name.

United's director of communications Phil Townsend was pleased with the draw. "It will be fantastic," he told Sky Sports News. "I think everyone at Old Trafford will be absolutely delighted, it's what the Champions League is all about.

"He (Beckham) will get a fantastic reception, as players coming back usually do at Manchester United. He was a terrific servant for the club and we all hope he will be playing."

Chelsea take on former manager Jose Mourinho after being drawn against his current club Internazionale.

Mourinho was dubbed the 'Special One' when he lead Chelsea to Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 before leaving early in the 2007-2008 season.

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay was delighted with the high-profile clash. "It's fantastic, it was the talk when we arrived here this morning and it's happened," he said.

"It's fantastic for the fans and for neutrals and it will be quite spectacular, I'm sure.

"I'm sure Jose will get a fantastic reaction from our fans. But at the end of the day he is the opposition and we'll look to go through over the two games."

Arsenal take on Portuguese side Porto as all three English clubs play the first leg of their ties away from home after winning their groups.

Arsenal secretary David Miles believes manager Arsene Wenger will be satisfied with a two-legged tie against Porto.

"I think he will be relatively pleased," he said. "We have played Porto three times in four seasons so they are a team we know well."

Spanish clubs avoided the big names with reigning champions Barcelona drawn against German side Stuttgart and Real Madrid up against French club Lyon.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas admitted they were facing a tough task against the club of their former striker Karim Benzema.

"It's an extremely difficult draw," Aulas told Eurosport.

"They're a fantastic team and the final will be played in Madrid, we know how that motivates."

Aulas added: "He (Benzema) was a great player for us and it's going to be something special for him to play against his former club."

German giants Bayern Munich meet Serie A club Fiorentina and CSKA Moscow were drawn with Spanish club Sevilla.

Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido admitted that the greatest danger for his side would be the freezing Moscow weather.

"We're satisfied with this draw. I think the biggest handicap for Sevilla will be the cold, we could play in temperatures of minus 18," said del Nido.

"CSKA Moscow is a great team but we're happy that we're not up against Milan, Inter or Bayern Munich," added Sevilla vice-president Jose Castro.

Full draw:

Stuttgart v Barcelona

Olympiacos v Bordeaux

Inter v Chelsea

Bayern v Fiorentina

CSKA Moscow v Sevilla

Lyon v Real Madrid

Porto v Arsenal

Milan v Manchester United

For the first time this year, the fixtures in the last 16 will be held over four weeks with half the ties on 16/17 February and 9/10 March and the others on 23/24 February and 16/17 March.

A hat-trick from Owen

A hat-trick from Michael Owen gave injury-ravaged Manchester United a 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg at the Volkswagon Arena as they top Champions League Group B.

Owen gave United the lead a minute before half-time with a clinical headed finish from close-range to leave the German champions under the cosh as they battled for second spot in the group.
Bosnian Edin Dzeko hit back for the hosts with an instinctive finish in the 56th minute as his powerful header levelled the match up at 1-1, and the hosts sensed their opportunity.
Armin Veh's side contrived to squander numerous clear-cut opportunities, but it was Owen who showed the required composure as he netted his second with a close-range finish in the 83rd minute.
Wolfsburg midfielder Sascha Riether missed a golden chance to equalise in stoppage time, but United broke at pace through Owen, who coolly dinked his shot over the diving Diego Benaglio to seal his hat-trick.
Having already made the knock-out stages, United's mission in Germany was simply to draw to finish top in their group, but their cause was not helped with 15 players missing.

United were forced to field a makeshift side with Michael Carrick, Ji-Sung Park and Darren Fletcher in defence, but the visitors battled valiantly to frustrate Wolfsburg, with only Dzeko troubling the frantically assembled back-four.
Despite a shoddy surface which was not remotely conducive to passing football, both sides attempted to stroke the ball, with the German champions seeking the valuable points to keep them in the hunt for the group's second spot.
Wolfsburg will feel aggrieved after Carrick brought down Makoto Hasebe in the United box with a clumsy challenge in the 13th minute, but the Dutch referee handed the visitors a reprieve as he awarded a corner.
The German side proceeded to squander two glorious headed opportunities in the first half, as Andrea Barzagli inexplicably headed wide in the 18th minute and, moments later, Misimovic planted his effort wide after meeting Marcel Schafer's cross, unmarked from close range.
It was hard work for the visitors on the turgid surface, but the pacey Danny Welbeck thought he had capped a fine move after a slick exchange from Paul Scholes and Darren Gibson on the half hour as he slotted in smartly, only to look up in dismay to see the offside flag.
With third-placed CSKA Moscow leading at half-time it was crucial the Germans got back into the game and 10 minutes into the second-half that is exactly what they did. United defended stoutly to stifle Dzeko, with the one exception being the Bosnian's free header to level the scores after Schafer picked the striker out in space.
But Owen was on hand to make it two with an opportunist strike after stunning work from substitute Gabriel Obertan, who jinked mesmerically between three Wolfsburg defenders to provide the striker with the simplest of finishes.
Owen's third was an individual effort as he broke down the left, then cut inside and across Ricardo Costa, before a delightful dink over the onrushing Benaglio to clinch victory for United and compound Wolfsburg's frustration.
As a result of the victory, United are now unbeaten in their last 15 Champions League away games and have won the last five, while Wolfsburg are usurped by CSKA Moscow, who clinch second spot.
Ferguson will have been delighted with the application of his players, but will now have to turn his attention to the ensuing selection headache in the lead-up to his side's Premier League clash with Aston Villa at the weekend.

Besiktas ends Man united 23 matches unbeaten record

Besiktas JK may have already been eliminated from this season's UEFA Champions League but they at least made their mark on the tournament after becoming the first away team to win at Old Trafford in the competition since 2005 thanks to Rodrigo Tello's solitary strike.

Famous scalp
Manchester United had gone 23 matches unbeaten here in Europe but after rescuing a two-goal deficit late in their preceding outing against PFC CSKA Moskva, their proud record finally fell as the Turkish champions claimed their first UEFA Champions League away victory in six years. In truth, the hosts were already assured of reaching the last 16, hence Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to make eight changes from his side's last Premier League game, but that is unlikely to dampen the celebrations of those Besiktas fans who had endured an 8-0 thrashing at Liverpool FC on their previous trip to England.

Breakthrough
Bottom-placed Beşiktaş knew only a win would keep alive their faint hopes of taking third place in the section, following PFC CSKA Moskva's early-evening victory. Though penned inside their half for much of the opening phase – when Nemanja Vidić was off target with a header – they gave their noisy supporters something to sing about as Tello fired them in front on 20 minutes. When a United attack broke down outside the Beşiktaş box, Matteo Ferrari sent İsmail Köybaşı away down the left. After passing the halfway line he delivered a crossfield ball to Tello yet there still seemed minimal danger as the Chilean cut infield some 35 metres out. However, with Rafael stepping back, Tello let fly and his shot glanced off the full-back and arced past Ben Foster into the far corner.

Defiant keeper
United responded with Daniel Welbeck and Federico Macheda – the teenage strikers spearheading a much-changed team – combining cleverly to get the latter behind the visiting back line but he failed to get his low cross past Rüştü Recber. The veteran goalkeeper had conceded six on his last visit here with Fenerbahçe SK in 2004 and would have been grateful for Sir Alex Ferguson resting Wayne Rooney. Though United dominated possession they struggled to create chances, with Rustu equal to the best of them, saving Gabriel Obertan's near-post effort after Welbeck had played in the winger.

Opportunities
The hard-working Fabian Ernst was catching the eye in the Beşiktaş midfield and his fellow German Michael Fink nearly doubled the lead four minutes before half-time. The visitors opened up the United rearguard as Tello slipped a ball infield to Bobo and his touch let in Fink, whose side-footed shot went behind off the post. United had fought back in their two preceding home matches and as the second half unfolded, they began to apply pressure, Obertan drawing a fingertip save with a low drive, then nodding on to the roof of the net.

Late scares
On came Michael Owen, Michael Carrick and Patrice Evra but it took until added time for United to seriously threaten an equaliser, Rüştü making a flying stop to tip over Macheda's header, then turning away Wes Brown's header from the resulting corner. United must now wait for their trip to VfL Wolfsburg next month to settle who finishes top of Group B.

Manchester United 3-3 Cska Moscow

Manchester United had to come from two goals down to grab a point in a 3-3 draw with CSKA Moscow in the Champions League at Old Trafford.

Antonio Valencia's injury-time leveller was enough to seal United's qualification from Group B after Paul Scholes had pulled a goal back on 84 minutes.
Michael Owen cancelled out Alan Dzagoev's opener but goals by Milos Krasic and Vasily Berezutsky had put the Russian club on course for a famous upset.
United rallied in the closing stages and in the end their never-say-die attitude prevailed, although it was another far from convincing performance from last year's finalists.
Wayne Rooney started on the bench after having become a father earlier in the week, while United were also missing central their first choice defensive partnership Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic through injury.
Wes Brown and Jonny Evans started in their place, with Fabio deputising for Patrice Evra, who started on the bench, at left-back.
CSKA sounded their intent early in an open and entertaining start to the game, with Deividas Semberas firing just wide of the post in the third minute.
But United soon asserted themselves and nearly hit back six minutes later when Valencia made inroads down the right hand side. His cross into the middle found Owen but he could not connect cleanly and a good opportunity to break the deadlock went begging.
Owen was guilty of profligacy in front of goal for a second time on 17 minutes, the summer signing poking a weak shot straight at Igor Akinfeev after having done the hard part by breaking through the visitors' backline.
In between those efforts, Darren Fletcher, returning from injury, saw a fierce drive drift inches wide of the post before Federico Macheda, making his European debut, fizzed a shot inches the wrong side of the upright.
United were on top, as they had been in the game in Moscow a fortnight ago, so it was a shock to their system when Dzagoev opened the scoring with a terrific strike on 25 minutes.
The 19-year-old Russia international lost his marker Wes Brown all too easily before running onto Tomas Necid's chested ball through. He appeared to take it a little too wide, but his shot was angled into the roof of the net and powerful enough leave Edwin Van der Sar rooted to the spot and wondering how he had allowed the ball had beaten him.

Just four minutes later it was third time lucky for Owen as he demonstrated he still has the finishing instinct that once made his name as one of the deadliest strikers in Europe. Valencia's cross was back-heeled by Nani - disappointing again - into Owen's path, via a deflection, and the former Liverpool and Real Madrid man did the rest.
But parity was to last just two minutes as Krasic was allowed to run onto Necid's layoff on the edge of the penalty area, round Van der Sar and slot into an empty net.
United rallied as the half drew to a close, Macheda and Paul Scholes both bringing Akinfeev into further action, but the hosts went in at the break trailing 2-1.
That soon became 3-1 as another bit of lapse defending from the hosts allowed Berezutsky to head home a deep free-kick at the far post on 47 minutes. This time Macheda was the guilty party, the young Italian losing his man as the ball was whipped over.
United should have been given a chance to level for a second time just three minutes later, but referee Olegario Benquerenca waved away strong appeals for a penalty as Fletcher was tripped in the box. Replays showed there to have been contact, but the Portuguese official opted to caution the Scot instead of pointing to the spot.
Alex Ferguson brought on Rooney and Evra just before the hour mark and the introduction of the pair gave United an immediate lift.
Rooney glanced a header wide on 63 minutes before he was denied by Akinfeev, who had just saved another effort from Owen.
United continued to press and Macheda nearly pulled one back with a header than thumped the base of the post before Scholes signalled his own personal intent with a rasping drive that stung Akinfeev's fingers.
The midfielder was not to be denied and he found the back of the net from the resulting corner, heading home from close range amid some shockingly lackadaisical CSKA marking.
Buoyed by the goal and lifted by the now vocal crowd, United pushed in search of a late equaliser and it arrived in the second minute of injury time, as Akinfeev was foxed by a hefty deflection on Valencia's shot from the edge of the penalty area.

CSKA 0-1 Manchester United

Manchester United maintained their 100 per cent record in Champions League Group B with a well-deserved 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium.
United controlled much of the match, but they left it late to take all three points, Antonio Valencia swooping to confirm their dominance with just four minutes remaining.
The result means Alex Ferguson's side are five points clear at the top of the table, after Wolfsburg had to settle for a goalless draw against Besiktas. United can now seal qualification from the group stage with a point against CSKA back at Old Trafford in a fortnight.
Pre-match talk centred on how the visitors would cope with the Luzhniki's infamous plastic pitch and as expected the ball bounced higher and held up more than usual.
The result was a cagey opening period during which chances were few and far between, but the synthetic turf did not appear to give either side a clear advantage.
United edged possession early on and Paul Scholes went closest to breaking the deadlock after 25 minutes, the veteran midfielder cleverly unleashing a shot from 30 yards out that bounced awkwardly just in front of Igor Akinfeev. The CSKA keeper had to be alert to make an effective, if ungainly, save.
Fabio Da Silva, playing at left-back in the absence of the injured Patrice Evra, impressed with his attacking play, and the Brazilian was keen to support Nani down the left hand side at every opportunity.
Nani, meanwhile, was also busy and United's only other real chance of the first half came from one of the many crosses he put into the CSKA penalty area. This one eventually fell to Gary Neville, who sent a measured side-footer just over the bar on 37 minutes.

At the other end, a Tomas Necid header preceded a cross-shot from the dangerous Milos Krasic and an Alan Dzagoyev free-kick that caused panic in the United box, but otherwise United's back line was not troubled, even though Nemanja Vidic looked uncertain on occasion.
After the break Vidic lost his central defensive partner Rio Ferdinand, who was taken off as a precautionary measure with one eye on Sunday's big clash against Liverpool.
But with United upping their game in the second half, much of the action took place at the other end and Wes Brown, Ferdinand's replacement, was comfortable for the remainder of the evening.
Just once did CSKA threaten to get on the scoresheet, when Sergei Ignashevich nearly prodded home a dangerous free-kick after 64 minutes.
But otherwise, United controlled the game during the second half and the only thing lacking from their play, until the later stages, was a final product, although they came close to finding one on several occasions.
Nani was denied a diving header on the hour mark by an excellent save from Akinfeev before the CSKA skipper raced off his line to smother at the Portuguese's feet seven minutes later.
Michael Owen was introduced with just under 20 minutes remaining in the hope the striker could make a breakthrough, although the striker failed to make a difference, swinging and missing at his best chance with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Valencia fared better and the Ecuadorian rattled the frame of the goal with a superb strike following a neat passing move from United, again involving Nani, on 82 minutes.
Four minutes later, United's pressure eventually told as Valecnia settled the match, lashing past Akinfeev from Dimitar Berbatov's flick on to give United their first victory over Russian opponents in UEFA competitions.

CSKA vs Manchester United FC preview

PFC CSKA Moskva coach Juande Ramos is relishing the opportunity to pit his wits against Manchester United FC and Sir Alex Ferguson when the three-time UEFA Champions League winners travel to Russia for their third Group B game holding a three-point lead in the standings. Sir Alex has already experienced plenty of euphoria at the Luzhniki Stadium, venue for the 2008 final win against Chelsea FC, but despite the emotions stirred by a return to the Russian capital and the prospect of facing Liverpool FC at the weekend, the United manager is fully focused on the task in hand.

Juande Ramos, CSKA coach
What I like about Russia is that the players are very disciplined, ready to listen and take on new things so training is very positive. Some United players won't feature but I'm sure they will find replacements, just as we will replace the players we are missing. The game will be a kind of barometer for us, showing how close we are to clubs like United. We will be looking to win, to pick up three points and have the chance to do that at home. They have a big match against Liverpool this weekend but [Wednesday's] game, in terms of emotion and the challenge will be comparable to Liverpool. I don't think they will take it easy in any way. Of course, two big matches so close to each other will make their coach shift the workload somehow, but they want to win the group so they need to play for victory.

Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager
Obviously I have fantastic memories [of the Moscow final] but these are things of the past. It was wonderful and I won't forget it but we have a more important match tomorrow. We have analysed CSKA quite a lot in the last two weeks. It is an interesting combination: they have more experienced players in the back four and good young players in front in [Miloš] Krasić and [Alan] Dzagoev. They keep the ball down all the time and show good speed. The [Russian] league becomes stronger and can be compared to other good leagues like Germany and France. There are new teams like FC Zenit St. Petersburg and FC Rubin Kazan – it shows there is room for people with ambition. CSKA are now fifth and need to win all the games to qualify for Europe, so that shows the level of the league. It's not an easy league at all. Our advantage is that we have very good players.

Wayne Rooney is among five key Manchester United FC players ruled out of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League fixture at PFC CSKA Moskva.

Hope over duo
Rooney misses out with a calf strain and remained in England along with Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra, Ji-Sung Park and Darren Fletcher as the rest of the United squad headed to Russia on Monday afternoon. Giggs and Evra picked up knocks in Saturday's 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers FC, while Park and Fletcher both sat out that match. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson is nonetheless hopeful that striker Dimitar Berbatov and defender Nemanja Vidić will recover from minor complaints as United aim to keep up their perfect record in Group B.

Weekend results
17/10/09 PFC Spartak Nalchik 1-1 CSKA
(Amisulashvili 26; Krasić 2)

• The draw with Spartak Nalchik ended CSKA's run of three successive away defeats in the Premier-Liga, but with leaders FC Rubin Kazan winning they are now seven points off the summit.

17/10/09 Manchester United 2-1 Bolton Wanderers FC
(Knight 5og, Valencia 33; Taylor 75)

• The win took United back to the top of the Premier League as Chelsea lost 2-1 at Aston Villa FC. United have scored 20 goals in their last seven league games.

• Antonio Valencia scored his first goal for United since his summer move from Wigan Athletic FC. It was his first Premier League goal since December 2008, though he has scored twice for Ecuador this season.

Team news
CSKA
Out: Mark González (ankle), Guilherme (thigh)
Doubtful: Vasili Berezutski (cold)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

United
Out: Wayne Rooney (calf), Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra, Ji-Sung Park (knee), Darren Fletcher, Owen Hargreaves (knee),
Doubtful: Nemanja Vidić (ankle), Dimitar Berbatov
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Nemanja Vidić

Background
• United are unbeaten in 13 away games in the UEFA Champions League but they are without a win in five matches against Russian clubs.

• Ramos faced United twice while manager of Tottenham Hotspur FC from October 2007 to October 2008, the first a 3-1 FA Cup fourth round defeat at Old Trafford in January 2008 and then a 1-1 league home draw the following month.

• United trio Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney were on the losing side at the Luzhniki Stadium with England in a UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier against Russia on 17 October 2007. CSKA's Aleksei Berezutski, Vasili Berezutski and Sergei Ignashevich were in the Russia team that earned a 2-1 victory, despite Rooney hitting the opening goal.

Manchester United 2 - 1 Wolfsburg

Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick were on target as Manchester United came from behind to beat Wolfsburg 2-1 in an entertaining Champions League clash at Old Trafford.

The German champions took the lead after 56 minutes through Edin Dzeko's towering header but evergreen midfielder Giggs fired home a free-kick to pull United back on level terms just three minutes later.
Carrick curled home what proved to be the winner with 12 minutes remaining to give United two wins from two in Group B and inflict Wolfsburg's first defeat in the competition.
The Bundesliga side, making their debut in Europe's premier club competition this season, kicked off their campaign with an impressive 3-1 win over CSKA Moscow a fortnight ago, Brazilian striker Grafite completing a hat-trick with four minutes to go.
And Armin Veh's side continued where they left off in Germany, taking the game to their hosts in a rainy Manchester and making most of the early running.
Grafite and strike partner Dzeko started for the German club, with Obafemi Martins again forced to start on the bench, and early interchanges between the pair helped reinforce their reputation as a force to be reckoned with.
Certainly, United's backline appeared slightly unnerved by Wolfsburg's strong start to the game and both Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra gave the ball away cheaply within the opening 10 minutes.
Vidic's aberration, after just four minutes, allowed Zvjezdan Misimovic, Dzeko's Bosnian compatriot, the chance to shoot on goal and Tomasz Kuszczak, preferred to Ben Foster in United's goal, was forced into making his first save of the night.
As an attacking force, United struggled during the opening stages of the game, and part of the reason became clear when Dimitar Berbatov, who was overlooked in favour of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, started to warm up on the sidelines on the quarter-hour mark.

In front of the watching Fabio Capello, Owen had tweaked his groin and was forced off the pitch with just 20 minutes played. Enter Berbatov, and United's attacking play became noticeably sharper.
His impact was almost immediate, the Bulgarian's backheel finding Antonio Valencia, who wastefully shot wide of the mark on 25 minutes.
Wayne Rooney then found the back of the net from Berbatov's ball across the face of goal but the strike was chalked off for offside. Replays later showed Berbatov to have been onside when he received the ball.
It was not the last time United were to have a goal disallowed on the night - Giggs also had an effort ruled out for offside after the break, and again it was a contentious decision as replays showed the Welshman was played in as the ball pinged off the legs of Misimovic.
With Berbatov pulling the strings, United looked a different proposition and Carrick nearly opened the scoring after having profited from the Bulgarian's clever through pass in the 30th minute.
Berbatov himself then fired over from Giggs's back-post cross before Carrick saw a diving header saved by Benaglio.
But Wolfsburg maintained a threat of their own and Christian Gentner's header over the bar on 34 minutes served as a reminder that at 0-0 this game was still up for grabs.
But it did not stay goalless for long and as Berbatov's influence diminished Wolfsburg broke the deadlock when Dzeko leapt above Evra to direct a header past Kuszczak 11 minutes into the second half.
United hit back almost immediately, Giggs notching his 150th goal for United with a heavily deflected free-kick that wrong-footed Benaglio in the Wolfsburg goal.
The goal gave United a lift and they surged forward in search of a winner. Rooney almost found it with a sumptuous curling effort that flew inches wide of the angle of post and bar before Carrick finally did, the England midfielder sending a shot into the top corner after Berbatov and Giggs conspired to tee him up on the edge of the penalty area.
But still the visitors refused to accept defeat and when Josue lifted his head with six minutes remaining, Old Trafford hearts were firmly in mouths. But his stabbed effort bounced wide and with it went Wolfsburg's hopes of getting anything from the game.
United are now three points clear at the top of Group B with six points. Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow have three apiece while Besiktas are bottom with none after their defeat to the Russians in the day's early game.

Manchester United FC vs Wolfsburg preview

Led by a front pair of Grafite and Edin Džeko even Sir Alex Ferguson concedes is "incredible", Armin Veh says there is no reason for his VfL Wolfsburg charges to be initimidated by the Old Trafford atmosphere when they take on Manchester United FC. He feels the experience of big Bundesliga crowds will mask the fact this will be the German side's away debut in the UEFA Champions League group stage, even if they are up against three-time European titleholders.

Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager
The two Wolfsburg [strikers] scored 71 goals between them last season which is incredible, so we're looking forward to the game. I believe that if the home record is good it gives you a good chance to qualify for the next stage of the Champions League. And over the years our home record has been pretty good. We won our first match away from home which is a very big bonus to us. Germany is a good football nation. It says a lot for Wolfsburg's ambition: the progress they made last year, they did it in a very positive way. Sides from countries like Germany are always capable of winning the Champions League. The last few years it has been dominated by English teams, but there's always the possibility of someone coming in.

Armin Veh, Wolfsburg coach
Despite the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tévez, United are still strong. When you take a look at the table you see that they haven't lost in six matches so I see no significant changes – Manchester United have the same quality. This is a special game. United have played in more than 150 Champions League matches, while for us it's just our second game, but we're not going to sit back. I can't say if the lads will be inspired or scared of playing their first match at Old Trafford, but we'll still play our game, otherwise it'll be tough for us. But if you talking about the atmosphere, nothing beats the Bundesliga where crowds are enormous. There is a chance that Obafemi Martins will be brought into action and we'll play with three strikers, but of course it's not easy for him to win the competition with two strikers like Grafite and Edin Džeko.

Weekend results
26/09/09 Stoke City FC 0-2 United
(Berbatov 62, O'Shea 77)
• The win at Stoke was United's seventh in a row in all competitions. United have won 14 and lost just one of their last 16 Premier League games.

• United have scored 16 goals in their last five league matches. Of the 17 league goals they have scored this season 13 have come in the second half.

26/09/09 Wolfsburg 4-2 Hannover 96
(Misimović 8, Gentner 45, Hasebe 48, Džeko 62; Balitsch 28, Madlung 50og)
• It was Wolfsburg's fourth loss in six matches, their worst sequence since November/December 2007.

• Wolfsburg are yet to draw this season. After ten competitive games, they have won six and lost four, three of those defeats coming in the Bundesliga.

• Zvjezdan Misimović scored his fifth league goal of the season against Hannover, making him joint top scorer in the Bundesliga.

Team news
• United
Out: Owen Hargreaves (knee), Rafael (shoulder), Gabriel Obertan (calf), Edwin van der Sar (broken finger)
Doubtful: Ji-Sung Park (illness)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

• Wolfsburg
Out: none
Doubtful: Josué (knee)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Background
• United have not lost a home game in the UEFA Champions League since a 1-0 defeat by AC Milan in February 2005.

• This is Wolfsburg's maiden trip to England, although they did emerge victorious from their first encounter with an English team last season – beating Portsmouth FC 3-2 in the UEFA Cup group stage with goals from Džeko, Misimović and Christian Gentner.

• United forward Dimitar Berbatov scored twice in eight Bundesliga matches against Wolfsburg during five and a half years with Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

• Wolfsburg striker Martins was on target for Newcastle United FC in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on the opening day of the 2008/09 Premier League season.

Did you know?
Sir Alex has twice claimed European honours against German clubs – his Aberdeen FC side defeated Hamburger SV to land the 1983 UEFA Super Cup and United beat FC Bayern München in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final.

Manchester United wins by scholes header

Paul Scholes popped up to head home the only goal of the game as Manchester United kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win at Besiktas.

Besiktas may not be the force of recent seasons, but Istanbul is an intimidating place and United had to ride out a storm and keep the crowd in check.
That they did in polished style and were rewarded with the winning goal, Scholes' 22nd in the Champions League, at a time when the crowd were roaring on the home side.
A win on the road in Europe is welcome at any time, but Sir Alex Ferguson is sure to be thrilled to have got this potential banana skin out of the way at the advent of the campaign.
United were sharp out of the blocks against a Besiktas side who seemed intent on proving they were no back number following the bitter weekend defeat to Galatasaray.
Scholes, sent off at the weekend, had plenty of life in his legs and a superb tackle fashioned a half-chance for Wayne Rooney but his shot from 25 yards flew wide.
Rooney looked extremely sharp in his solo attacking role, popping up all the way along the front line and he exchanged passes with Nani before teeing up Michael Carrick and his well-struck shot was clasped at full stretch by Hakan Arikan.
Arikan was called into action again on the quarter-hour, tipping the ball away from danger after Antonio Valencia had flicked on a near-post corner.
Valencia had the upper hand against Ibrahim Uzulmez on the flank and he benefited from a fine piece of play from Rooney and delivered a teasing cross into the box, but Ibrahim Kas was on hand to clear after Arikan had fumbled.
Rooney seemed to be at the heart of all United's positive play and he flipped a great cross into the box after popping up on the left, but Valencia could only glance a header wide.
Besiktas kept the crowd on their side by working hard to stifle United and they grew in confidence as the first half developed, but were restricted to shots from distance.
Serder Ozkan looked the most potent attacking threat for Besiktas and he almost grabbed the opening goal, but his shot which deflected off Jonny Evans' boot looped onto the roof of the net.
United could and possibly should have taken the lead at the start of the second half. A teasing cross from Nani forced a drastic defensive clearance from Matteo Ferrari, the ball was returned into the path of Carrick but he was unable to generate any power on his strike from eight yards.
Ferguson shuffled his pack, with Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen brought on for Rooney and Carrick. Rooney had steam coming from his ears as he trudged off and made his feelings known by flinging his boot into the ground.
Owen looked like justifying the substitution when appearing to spring the offside trap but after rounding the keeper, a late flag halted him in his tracks.
Valencia looked like United's most likely source of a goal following Rooney's departure and he flashed a low shot a yard wide after leaving his marker chasing shadows.
United's winner came on 77 minutes and it was somewhat appropriate that Valencia had a hand in it.

The Ecuadorian exchanged passes with Owen before shifting the ball to Nani. The winger made space and shot on goal, Arikan made a fine diving save but Scholes was on hand to nod home the rebound.
The goal calmed the crowd a shade, but the introduction of Nihat with eight minutes remaining raised the decibel level and he crafted a chance with a sweet cross but Mert Nobre was just unable to stretch his neck far enough to reach.
Owen squandered a good chance crafted by Berbatov, but it mattered little as United took a welcome three points.

Besiktas v Man United Match Preview

Here we are again. Can Manchester United achieve a third successive final in the UEFA Champions League? today’s game against Besiktas will be tough. In fact, the whole of Group B will not be easy. German Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg will be difficult but the major test will be the home and away ties to CSKA Moscow.

But Man Utd are still firm favourites. And despite the difficult opposition in this group, many will expect nothing more than a first place finish. First up, Besiktas. Liverpool did beat them 8-0 at Anfield a few years ago, Ryan Babel hitting a hat-trick but it is unlikely that a similar result will happen in Turkey.

The hostile atmosphere described by former Turkey goalkeeper Rustu Recber, as the “noisiest, most passionate fans” and the veteran believes that it may be “hell” for United.

Man Utd are in great form at the moment, but Besiktas on the other hand are not. One win from five games wasn’t exactly how the Turkish league champions would have liked their title defence to get underway.

Who will United play today?
Ben Foster looks likely to keep his place in goal after a much improved performance against Tottenham Hotspur, while the back four should remain the same. Either Antonio Valencia, Nani or Park should get the two winger spots but who will play in the centre of midfield is unclear. Michael Carrick may get a nod, but who will partner him? Wayne Rooney and possibly Michael Owen could start up front, but we will see if that is the case.

Besiktas have some familiar names. Rustu Recber, of course, and Nihat Kahveci, who played for Spanish outfit Villareal in past seasons, and he will no doubt be the main threat. The side are not short of talent. German Michael Fink is a good player, and Matias Delgado, the Argentinian, along with Brazilian Bobo are also players to watch out for.