Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney team up to lead Manchester United to a 2-1 victory over Cluj-Napoca in the second match of the UCL.
CFR Cluj-Napoca got off to a 1-0 lead off a Pantelis Kapetanos goal in the 14th minute off a defensive miscue from Man U. But Van Persie found a way to tie it up in the 29th minute. Rooney shot in a set piece play that Van Persie tipped up with his head. The ball dipped up over and past keeper Mario Felguieras to tie the game.
In the 49th minute, Rooney made magic again when he lofted a shot into the Cluj box. Van Persie ran in and tipped it right before Felguieras could catch it to secure a 2-1 lead.
The trio of Javier Hernandez, Van Persie, and Rooney (who played behind them) was dominant throughout and should spell good things for Man U. However, this team and coach Sir Alex Ferguson cannot be happy about falling behind for the sixth time in nine games.
Meanwhile Braga made up for their loss to Cluj by defeating Galatasaray 2-0 to put the Turkish side behind in the group standings. Galatasaray dominated the play and dicated the pace, but a counter attack put them behind 1-0. Eder raced into the area and thre w a pass to Ruben Amorim. He blasted the shot on goal, but Fernando Muslera made a huge save to keep it away. However, the ball was left in the slot for Ruben Micael to shoot into an empty net.
The 1-0 lead would stand as Galatasaray got one opportunity after another but failed to capitalize. In stoppage time, a perfectly place through ball found a breaking Eder who took the ball to the left of the box and centered for Alan who tucked it into the left corner to secure a 2-0 win for Braga. The win vindicates the loss to Cluj and puts them in a tie for second in the group.
Group H Standings
Manchester United: 2 wins, 6 points
CFR Cluj-Napoca: 1 win, 1 loss, 3 points
Baraga: 1 win, 1 loss, 3 points
Galatasaray: 2 losses, 0 points