Robin van Persie scored a sensational hat-trick as Manchester United beat Olympiakos 3-0 to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, while Borussia Dortmund joined them in the last eight.
Under-pressure United manager David Moyes saw his side produce a much-improved performance from Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool, and Van Persie made the difference as the ailing Premier League champions overcame a 2-0 first-leg deficit to go through.
There was less drama in Germany, where last season’s beaten finalists Dortmund lost 2-1 at home to Zenit St Petersburg, but progressed 5-4 on aggregate.
Photo: AFP
United had only once before come back from a first-leg defeat to win a Champions League tie, against Roma in the 2007 quarter-finals, and the listless nature of their recent displays would have done little to inspire confidence among the home fans at Old Trafford.
However, a Wayne Rooney header that came back off the post set the tone before the three-time European champions were awarded a penalty midway through the first half when Jose Holebas barged into the back of Van Persie.
The Dutchman confidently beat Roberto from the spot and the Spanish goalkeeper then did well to save from a Patrice Evra header.
Olympiakos, who retained the Greek title at the weekend, remained a threat and United goalkeeper David de Gea made a brilliant double save to deny David Fuster and Chori Dominguez as half-time approached.
United levelled the tie on aggregate in first-half stoppage-time when Rooney’s low cross was lashed home first-time by Van Persie and he then scored the decisive third goal, and completed his hat-trick, by curling home a free-kick in the 52nd minute.
Moyes will be delighted that his side held on, although there were plenty of nerves, and Evra picked up a yellow card that rules him out of the first leg of their quarter-final, while Van Persie went off with an injury late on.
“The way the players responded after Sunday’s defeat pleased me. I said to them on Monday morning we had to win 3-0 and give the crowd something back,” Moyes told British Sky television at full-time.
“They deserved it because we’ve not given them much to shout about. The players were incredibly committed. We didn’t play well in Greece, but tonight we put it right, and we deserved it,” he added.
“It’s going to be a struggle from here, but we’re looking forward to the draw,” Moyes added, before saying that Van Persie’s leg injury did not appear to be anything serious.
At the Westfalenstadion, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a glorious chance to put Dortmund in front before Brazilian forward Hulk put Zenit ahead with a trademark 30m piledriver that swerved through the air.
Having lost the first leg 4-2 in Russia, Zenit still needed to score twice more without reply to go through, but Jurgen Klopp’s side levelled on the night when captain Sebastian Kehl headed home a Marcel Schmelzer cross before the interval.
Substitute Jose Rondon stooped to head home and win the game for Zenit in the second half, and incoming coach Andre Villas-Boas will have drawn much encouragement as he prepares to take the reins in St Petersburg.
Dortmund go through, but they do not appear to pose quite the same threat as 12 months ago, and will have to do without top-scorer Robert Lewandowski in the first leg of their quarter-final due to suspension after he was booked in the first half.
“Anyone who works in football knows that Zenit aren’t push-overs and the creme de la creme of European football now awaits us in the quarter-finals,” Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp said.
United and Dortmund join reigning champions Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the quarter-final draw, which is to be made today at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
The last-eight ties are to be played at the beginning of next month.
Kylian Mbappe struck from the penalty spot as Real Madrid beat a dogged CA Osasuna 1-0 on Tuesday to make a winning start in Spanish La Liga under new coach Xabi Alonso. The France striker, last season’s European Golden Shoe winner, scored early in the second half, after he was fouled in the area by Osasuna defender Juan Cruz. It was enough to seal the points in Alonso’s first game in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Madrid now unbeaten in their opening fixture of a league campaign since 2008. “You can see that Kylian wants to do even more
‘CATASTROPHE’: Despite losing several key forwards in the summer transfer window, Bayern were up 3-0 in the first half before Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in the second Harry Kane hit a hat-trick, Michael Olise a double and newcomer Luis Diaz also scored as Bayern Munich made a “statement” against RB Leipzig 6-0 at home in the Bundesliga season opener on Friday. Bayern’s big-money arrivals, all brought in from the Premier League across the past three seasons, were dominant as the Bavarians begun their title defense in style. Olise scored twice in the first half, either side of a Diaz strike. Not to be outdone, Kane scored three goals in the second half — with two assists coming from Diaz, to bring Bayern’s total to 6-0. Kane told the Bundesliga
Kevin de Bruyne is to lead SSC Napoli’s Serie A title defense today when he makes his full debut at promoted US Sassuolo, but the champions head into the new season rocked by a long-term injury to star striker Romelu Lukaku. De Bruyne was, alongside aging icon Luka Modric, the big new name to arrive in Italy this summer and fans were hoping his linkup with Belgium teammate Lukaku would push Napoli to success both at home and in their return to the UEFA Champions League. The 34-year-old has suffered from hamstring injuries which caused him to miss significant chunks of the
FIGHTBACK: Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Jiang Xinyu of China rallied from a set down to advance to the final of the women’s doubles at the Tennis in the Land Russian second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova on Thursday beat defending champion Linda Noskova 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-2 at the Monterrey Open to secure her place in the semi-finals of the US Open tune-up event. Alexandrova, 14th in the world rankings, started the decider brightly after two tightly contested sets and while Czech Noskova fought back to level at 2-2, the Russian regained control to seal the victory in just over two hours at the WTA 500 event. “I’m really glad that I could make it through, even in three sets, because it was difficult today — she served so well, she hit so
RSS