Real Madrid 1 Man United 1
Real Madrid 1 Manchester United 1, Santiago Bernabeu, UEFA Champions League Last Sixteen First Leg, February 13, 2013. David de Gea made several superb saves as Manchester United earned themselves a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. After the result in Madrid, The Reds were now slight favourites to progress through to the next round of the Champions League.
The Estadio Santiago Bernabeu outfit started the match on the front foot and dominated the opening fifteen minutes of the encounter. Against the run of the play, England international Danny Welbeck gave Manchester United an early lead in the 20th minute of the Champions League contest when he managed to convert an accurate flag kick taken by Wayne Rooney. A mere ten minutes later, however, Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo produced the equalising goal for the home team with a precisely placed header. The Spanish Champions retained their impetus after the half time refreshments but although Los Merengues enjoyed much of the possession of the ball, the Barclays Premier League club were able to keep them at bay for the rest of the game. Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson commented after the midweek clash against Jose Mourinho‘s Real Madrid in Madrid that he was well pleased with his team´s attitude and performance. The Old Trafford manager particularly singled out Spanish U23 international custodian David de Gea for his creative acrobatics between the goalposts. Sir Alex Ferguson: “Manchester United are good at developing people. David de Gea is just like a kid making his steps forward. He wobbles, he gets up, wobbles, gets up and now, all of a sudden, he is walking. He is maturing all the time and he has showed that. David de Gea has come to Madrid with a lot of pressure on him, coming from Atletico Madrid, and he has produced the goods.”
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