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11 April 2007, by Sean Gillen

Dazzling Ronaldo inspires United to historic thrashing

Manchester United 7-1 Roma (Agg. 8-3)

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goals in the Champions League proper as Manchester United demolished Roma at Old Trafford to book their place in the semi-finals.

The Portuguese scored either side of half time in what was possibly the greatest performance of Alex Ferguson’s twenty-year managerial reign at the club, with United scoring seven superb goals in an exhilarating team performance.

Roma, carrying a 2-1 lead from the first leg in Italy, actually started the game quite brightly, and Francesco Totti’s shot from twenty metres sent out warning to the hosts that the Serie A side were not looking to sit on their advantage.

However, they were soon subjected to a breathtaking evening of attacking football, and fell behind just after the ten-minute mark when Ronaldo found Carrick with a smart ball just outside the area, and the England midfielder beat Doni with a superbly placed shot.

Two more arrived within a minute of each other with less than twenty minutes on the clock as Ryan Giggs created goals for Alan Smith and Wayne Rooney. First, the Welshman found Smith with a clever throughball as United sliced Roma apart, and the forward finished coolly from the edge of the area, before Rooney clipped home a Giggs cross from the right following another breathtaking counter attack.

Ronaldo quickfire brace

With Roma shell-shocked, Ronaldo then took centre stage with his first goal one minute before the break. The 22-year-old picked up the ball thirty metres from goal before taking on Christian Chivu and unleashed a low shot to beat Doni at his near post.

The second half was less than four minutes old when Ronaldo got his second, getting on the end of another pinpoint Giggs cross from the left to tap in for his 20th goal of an increasingly remarkable season.

Roma looked a shadow of the side that currently sit in second place in Serie A, and United added a fifth when the magnificent Carrick picked up possession outside the area and placed a stunning shot into the top corner to give Doni no chance.

The visitors, who were reduced to long-range shots for most of the evening, scored a consolation when Daniele De Rossi brilliantly volleyed a Totti cross past van Der Sar with twenty minutes remaining.

United made a couple of substitutions as the half went on, and it was French full-back Patrice Evra, who has been out injured for over a month, who grabbed the seventh shortly after entering the action. Evra dribbled in from the right and hit a low shot with his left foot, which went in off the bottom of the post.

With Carrick, Ronaldo, Solskjaer and Rooney all going close with further efforts throughout the evening, the sensational nature United’s performance was the perfect reaction to two defeats in their last two games, and hopes of repeating the famous treble of 1999 remain intact.

Alex Ferguson (Manchester United manager):

“Was that the best win I’ve ever had? Absolutely, the scoring tells you that. It was a fantastic performance. The play, penetration, absolutely superb tonight. The confidence to believe in themselves after a couple of bad results in the last week.”

Cristiano Ronaldo:

“It was a great game. The best one of the season. To beat Roma 7-1, in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, has made it an incredible evening. We are all enthusiastic, the team, the fans. Never could we believe to succeed to play so well.”

“I don't care who we face for the next game. We must only think about ourselves because we have shown that we do not fear anyone.”

Luciano Spaletti (Roma manager):

“I honestly can’t explain it. We did alright for the first 10 minutes and then Manchester United scored on their first real run at us.”

“Then instead of waiting and seeing how the situation developed, we showed our inexperience by rushing forward and allowing ourselves to be torn to pieces on the counter-attack. That was precisely the thing we were not supposed to do against a side with these characteristics.”

“If I could go back and do anything differently? I would’ve stayed at home!”

Man Utd:
Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Heinze, O'Shea (Evra 52), Ronaldo, Fletcher, Carrick (Richardson 73), Giggs (Solskjaer 61), Rooney, Smith
Yellow Cards: Smith (40), Ferdinand (42)

Roma:
Doni, Panucci, Mexes, Chivu, Cassetti, Wilhelmsson (Rosi 88), De Rossi (Faty 86), Vucinic, Pizarro, Mancini (Okaka Chuka 90), Totti
Yellow Cards: Cassetti (76), Mexes (82)

Goals:
[1-0] Carrick, 12
[2-0] Smith, 17
[3-0] Rooney, 19
[4-0] Ronaldo, 44
[5-0] Ronaldo, 49
[6-0] Carrick, 60
[6-1] De Rossi, 69
[7-1] Evra, 81