host must win

Chapter 233 Champions League Qualification
Manchester United's expedition to Greece this time has neither Scholes nor Keane.In front of more than 800 Manchester United fans who came from afar, the new generation of Manchester United began to accept the baptism of the competition.Giggs, Forlan and Ronaldo formed the striker trident, Kleberson, Fletcher and O'Shea formed the midfield triangle; Ferguson continued to try the 433 formation.

Panathinaikos has already been eliminated, they are not active in the fight, and there are only a few 6000 spectators present, setting a record for the lowest attendance in the Champions League.

While Manchester United still took the initiative, they repeatedly mishandled some details in the offense and defense. It not only wasted three good scoring opportunities, but also caused several communication confusions in the defense.

Neither side had a particularly good chance in the first half.

In the 13th minute, Captain Ryan Giggs made a sudden start from the left, passed two defenders and made a cross. Fletcher's shot was blocked by the opponent. This was Manchester United's first effective attack since the start of the game.

In the next 20 minutes, the visiting team made frequent mistakes in the frontcourt, and the defense was also a little slow. Goalkeeper Howard was a little dissatisfied with O'Shea's inability to return a pass, and Fran's shot from the side of the penalty area was also ok. Reported deviation.

Before the end of halftime, Manchester United got an excellent 3-on-3 counterattack opportunity, but Fletcher hesitated and was intercepted by the opponent. Ferguson couldn't sit still anymore and rushed to the sidelines to roar.

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Yin Jun sat on the side bench and watched the game on the court with his own eyes. He felt very embarrassed.

This is the gap in overall strength!
Panathinaikos is considered a wealthy team in the Greek League One, but they are still no match against Manchester United, even with more than half of the substitute lineup.

Today's Manchester United, starting players only Howard, Ferdinand, Sylvester and Giggs can be regarded as the absolute main force of Manchester United, and O'Shea and Ronaldo are important rotation players.The rest are basically the fringe players of Manchester United.

This is the disparity between the strong teams of the four major leagues and the strong teams of the ordinary European leagues. The offensive combination of Panathinaikos that swept the Greek First Division could not play a threat in front of Manchester United.

"Our current offensive problem is still the counterattack. If Ruud is the fulcrum on the field, we will go directly to him. The teammates around us will grab the second spot and score the goal already." Phil Neville also said confidently.

Judging from the game, Panathinaikos' strength is indeed not as good as Manchester United.

However, after changing sides to fight again in the second half, Panathinaikos suddenly exerted strength and played a wave of strong attacks, playing threatening offensives twice in a row.

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Although Ferguson intends to save his strength for the weekend's battle with Chelsea, it does not mean that he hopes to suffer a defeat in the away game.Seeing that Manchester United's situation was at a disadvantage, he immediately began to make substitutions and adjustments. Phil Neville replaced Kleberson.

After Phil Neville went up, Manchester United began to control the situation on the field.

Although only one personnel adjustment was made and all other players on the field remained unchanged, it was this change that made Manchester United's midfield more orderly and less panicked. On the contrary, they organized and planned several attacks .

Just 5 minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo made a pass from the right. Giggs ran through the middle and got an excellent opportunity. He kicked a shot and almost pierced Panathinaikos' goal.

Ten minutes after Phil Neville came on, Berlyon came on for Fletcher.

In just 3 minutes, it was Ronaldo's cross from the right. Forlan got another chance and kicked wide.

It was followed by a shot from the left by Berlyon on the left.

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Time passed bit by bit, Panathinaikos and Manchester United both used two substitutions.

With the arrival of Phil Neville and Berlyon, the Red Devils' offensive became more and more fierce, but they were always a bit short of goal.

Ferguson finally used the third substitution at No. 80 minutes.Yin Jun replaced Fortune, the away defender, and formed a three-forward with Ronaldo and Forlan.

There is only one arrangement Ferguson gave him, and that is to run interspersed, stretch the defense, and strive for goals.

After Yin Jun came on the field, the first time he touched the ball, he made a strong breakthrough from the wing, but when it passed into the penalty area, he was cleared by the Panathinaikos central defender.

But just 3 minutes later, after Yin Jun received a pass from Giggs on the left, he suddenly started and dribbled the ball inside.

Cristiano Ronaldo understood, and retreated from the front, seemingly to meet Yin Jun, but in fact he pulled out the opponent's central defender.

Yin Jun made a diagonal pass with his right foot behind him, and Fran quickly crossed into the penalty area, stopped the ball, and shot, all in one go!
Soccer hits the net!

1: 0!

In the No.805 minute, Yin Jun assisted Forlan for Manchester United and scored the lore goal!
This goal is the best reward for the Uruguayan's relentless pursuit.

After the game, Ferguson was satisfied with his team's performance in the second half: "After we replaced Yin, the penetration organization in the frontcourt improved. The most important thing is that we won the game."

最终，曼联客场1:0小胜帕纳辛奈科斯。斯图加特主场1:0力克流浪者。曼联与斯图加特携手出线，这也是曼联连续8个赛季打进冠军杯16强。

In the last round, Manchester United will compete with Stuttgart, which has the same points, for the top spot in the group at home, while Rangers will compete with Panathinaikos for the UEFA Cup seat.

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Manchester United boss Ferguson admits that the game against Panathinaikos may not be the best form for Manchester United, but Ferguson praised the attitude of the players towards the game. He believes that the players' concentration and persistence in the game make him happy .

Speaking to Sky Sports, Ferguson said: "It wasn't a game in which we played well, but we didn't make big mistakes, which is important because it made Panathinaikos feel like they had no chance. The attack picked up in the second half and it created some chances to break through and score. We should have scored more goals. Near the end of the game, I felt that we still had a chance to win the game, so I put Yin Jun on and finally proved this change. Man is right."

Forlan wasted several excellent opportunities before scoring in this game, but fortunately he seized the last one to seal the victory for Manchester United.In this regard, Ferguson said: "Forlan could have scored two or three goals, he can always feel the opportunity, and his movement is also good. I am happy for Forlan. He is always improving. And whenever he is on the pitch he rewards us with goals and I hope that will continue."

Ferguson pointed out: "The concentration of the players is the key to winning this game. We did better in the second half, because you must always guard against the opponent's defensive counterattack. The important thing is that we have already qualified, but if we can win the group The first is a proud thing for us. The next game against Stuttgart, whoever wins will be the top of the group.

(End of this chapter)