Cristiano Ronaldo kept United in the FA Cup with a second half penalty that earned a 2-2 draw in the quarter-final at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Premiership leaders United, who are also in the last eight of the Champions League, went ahead through a first half strike by Wayne Rooney before Lee Cattermole equalized on the stroke of half-time.
George Boateng headed the home team in front within a minute of the restart, but the Dutch midfielder was penalized for handball 22 minutes from time and Ronaldo converted from the spot to set up a replay at Old Trafford later this month.
United were forced into an unexpected change prior to kick-off when experienced Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar suffered a calf injury in the pre-match warm-up.
Pole Tomasz Kuszczak replaced Holland's most capped player in an otherwise full-strength team but, without a third senior goalkeeper in the squad, Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to name five outfield substitutes.
Kuszczak had been afforded only eight minutes to get his bearings in front of the massed ranks of United supporters when Middlesbrough's England international Stewart Downing forced the former West Bromwich Albion player into a fine save.
But van der Sar's understudy inspired a typically fluid United move and a succession of rapid passes culminated in Rooney striking a firm volley just wide.
The England international's radar was, however, perfect in the 23rd minute after Middlesbrough's left back Andrew Taylor conceded possession inside his own half.
Giggs claimed the loose ball and played a short pass to his left. Rooney stepped inside two defenders before drilling a right footed shot beyond Schwarzer from the edge of the area.
Nine minutes before the break Giggs struck the post from a Gary Neville pass but Cattermole brought the clash to life when he levelled for the home team in the 45th minute.
Middlesbrough were in the ascendancy and the 1997 finalists took the lead a minute after the restart when Boateng headed his first FA Cup goal for eight years.
However, the Netherlands international went from hero to villain in the 67th minute when Giggs floated in a corner from the right and, with England defender Rio Ferdinand in his line of vision, both of Boateng's hands made contact with the ball.
Ronaldo comfortably converted from the spot for his 17th goal of the season.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS