Ronaldo Scores Against Old Club (Sporting Lisbon 0 - Manchester United 1)

Dry, drab, awful....these are a few adjectives that you could use to describe this encounter, and you're probably being way too kind. In truth this was possibly the worse game of football I've seen in a while. Well..... the Italy vs France Euro 2008 Qualifier a couple weeks back probably topped this one in terms of boredom, which is way I hope those two teams NEVER get to play one another EVER again.

Despite the level of play, the condition of the pitch and the inability of both sets of players to lift their game, Ronaldo stood out. And it was probably fitting that he scored the only goal from possibly the best move of the game on the 63rd minute. It was a beautiful diving header delivered by Brown that gave the Sporting keeper no chance whatsoever. Besides the goal, the game had little to nothing to offer from every perspective.

I can't really say we deserved it for turning up uninterested in the fixture, but I'll gladly take the 3 points and a step towards the next round. However I can say this, we're not going to win the Champions League this year, next year or ever, if we're going to the opposition ground and play scared. It's been the case for the past few seasons. We've lost our swagger since the tactical switch to play 4-5-1 in Europe, especially in the away fixtures. And I think it's pretty obvious to everyone who has watched United play in Europe the last 4-5 seasons.

Yet Ferguson and Queiroz are the only ones who seem oblivious to the fact. Today, their decision seem justified, but further down the competition, we'll face tougher opponents like the AC Milans and the Barcelonas and their are going to whip our sorry asses.