Advertisement

Help
You are here: Rediff Home » India » Sports » Football » Reuters > Report
Search:  Rediff.com The Web
Advertisement
  Discuss this Article   |      Email this Article   |      Print this Article

Ferguson bemoans negative Lille
Ed Osmond
Get Sports updates:What's this?
Advertisement
October 19, 2005 10:02 IST
Manchester United [Images] manager Alex Ferguson was in philosophical mood following his side's 0-0 draw with Lille in Champions League Group D on Tuesday.

United, missing the suspended Wayne Rooney [Images] and several key players through injury, struggled to break down the French side and were further hampered by the second-half sending-off of midfielder Paul Scholes.

"We just had to try to be patient and hope we got the opportunity to win it," Ferguson told a news conference. "Lille are a very fit and committed team but they never tried to beat us.

"It's understandable for a club like Lille because they have come a long way."

Ferguson said he had switched Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo [Images] to the right flank after halftime.

Also Read


Henry shines in Arsenal victory

Wenger hails new goal king Henry

England football great Haynes dies

Federation Cup: Dempo to meet HAL in opener


"We tried to get Ronaldo running at their left back and he was starting to do that before the sending-off," Ferguson said. "After that we just had to keep our shape and not do anything silly because we still had a point."

Ferguson said Italian referee Stefano Farina been "fussy" throughout the game, though he did not criticise him for showing Scholes the red card.

"The referee was very fussy and the game never really got started," Ferguson said. "In European football you get some referees who are very strict and we got one tonight."

Ferguson also suffered a new injury blow when winger Ryan Giggs sustained a fractured cheek bone but he thinks United are still in a strong position, a point clear at the top of the group going into the return game against Lille in two weeks.

"We are in a good position and we will go to Lille and try and win the game as we always do," he said.

Lille coach Claude Puel said the loss of Scholes through suspension for the second leg would be counter-balanced by the presence of Rooney.

"The return of Rooney will compensate for the loss of Scholes," Puel said. "We may find it harder in the second game because we won't have the element of surprise but we are getting more and more into this competition and showing what we can do."



© Copyright 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
 Email this Article      Print this Article

© 2008 Rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer | Feedback