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CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA – OCTOBER 02: Robin van Persie and Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United thank the support after the UEFA Champions League Group H match between CFR 1907 Cluj and Manchester United at the Constantin Radulescu Stadium on October 2, 2012 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
It was the first combined competitive start for Manchester United‘s top striking pair, as Rooney and van Persie lined up alongside Hernandez, as well as a completely rejigged midfield to the one which lost to Tottenham at the weekend. Interestingly, it was Rooney who was designated to start on the left of the midfield, as opposed to the left-footed van Persie. The defence, which was caught napping on multiple occasions at the weekend, however, remained unchanged for this trip to Transylvania.
In as early as the 3rd minute, a sloppy attempt at clearing the ball from Ferdinand led to a Cluj corner, and some heavy pressure amidst nervy defending; an early test that United’s defence just about managed to pass. Up front for United, things seemed a little more creative with Rooney playing in the hole, rather than on the left, in what seemed a mobile 4-3-1-2/4-4-2 formation. It was a pretty ordinary start to the match with both teams trading possession, before an inconspicuous ball out wide saw Sougou steal the march on Evra and play in a cross which was dispatched into the net by Kapetanos. It was good play from the Cluj forward, and poor play from Evans, as the striker silently stepped off, saw the defender miss the ball and struck home unchallenged past a helpless De Gea. A goal down in the 14th minute, and some poor defending which wouldn’t have impressed Alex Ferguson too much; a situation quite reminiscent of recent times for the United supporters.
United came close to equalising in the 20th minute through an Anderson shot, with the Brazilian shooting marginally wide from a Hernandez lay-off. Two minutes later, it was van Persie’s turn to volley wide from an opportunistic pass forward, but the Dutchman’s shot sailed quite wide of Felgueiras’ goal. Sougous had to be replaced in the 23rd minute, because of a knock, by Brazilian Luis Alberto. There was no real joy for United heading forward, as they inevitably came up against a well organised, heavily packed defence. However, a casual foul from Cluj gave Rooney the opportunity to deliver a quality ball into the box that glanced off van Persie’s head onto his shoulder and looped over the ‘keeper, into the back of the net. For the first time in a competitive game, it was Rooney garnering the assist for van Persie, as United drew level in the 29th minute; the scoreline reading 1-1.
Cluj had Felgueiras to thank for keeping them level with a good save off van Persie, after the Dutchman had been put through for a one-on-one, albeit from a narrow angle. Cluj seemed content playing the ball sideways, relying on long balls and counter-attacks to apply any sort of pressure on United. There wasn’t much creativity going forward for United either, and both teams struggled to create any clear chances, heading into half time at 1-1.
Four minutes into the second half, it was the same combination that struck for United, as Rooney sent in a ball into the box for van Persie to cleverly slot home. It was a teasing ball that dragged the keeper off his line, but saw him fall well short of it while van Persie got ahead of his marker and stretched a leg to guide it goalward; United leading 2-1 in the 49th minute. It was De Gea’s turn to pull off a good save in the 54th minute, as an unmarked Cadu headed a ball straight at him from a corner; the Spaniard’s reflexes saving the blushes for the United defence.
It was a pretty dull period that followed, with very few chances created, and both teams content to stay comfortable in possession in their own halves. Scrappy fouls from both sides, especially Cluj, gave a stop-start nature to the game, and so it was that the score remained at 2-1 heading into the last ten minutes of the game. United threw on Wootton and Welbeck in place of Evans and Hernandez, with the former possibly aimed at gaining some experience partnering Ferdinand in defence for the youngster.
It was in the 2nd minute of added time that the game finally saw some action, Rafael Bastos directing the ball to the bottom corner with a diving header, only for De Gea to pull off a brilliant reflex save. It was disappointment for Cluj, as their hero from the first match almost garnered them a point out of nothing, against a ‘keeper who hadn’t had much to do all game. However, United held on for a 2-1 win, making them the only team in the group with 2 victories, and putting the weekend’s disappointment behind them. It’s a strong position, from which United can begin to think of sealing qualification soon, and moving on to trying out a few different things. And while the defence remains worrisome, United fans can be hopeful that a combination of Rooney and RvP up front might just see United pull through on those tough nights.
Result: CFR Cluj (Kapetanos 14′) 1 – 2 Manchester United (Robin van Persie 29′, 49′)
