#RoadtoGlasgow – OnThisDay: Manchester United vs Bayer 04 2-2

Situation

There was deep disappointment following the 2-1 home defeat against Werder Bremen. "Of course, the atmosphere in the dressing room was not good," said Oliver Neuville after the game that saw the lead of the previously undisputed Bundesliga leaders Bayer 04 shrink to just two points over pursuers Borussia Dortmund with two games to play. "A second Unterhaching can't be ruled out," said captain Jens Nowotny in sounding a warning. Michael Ballack was more defiant as he posed the question to the journalists: "Has something happened?" At the end of the day everything was still in the hands of the Werkself in the championship race.

Complete concentration now switched to the first leg of the semi-final in the Champions League away to Manchester United in four days time. "We are proud to be able to play here at the football temple against one of the three top clubs in Europe," said Klaus Toppmöller at the pre-match press conference. "I'm excited to see how our central defence of Nowotny and Lucio performs against a top striker like van Nistelrooy. How our midfield gets deals with Giggs, how we shape up against Veron." Another Red Devils superstar, David Beckham, was ruled out with a metatarsal injury. The Werkself were clearly the underdogs at Old Trafford. However, Sir Alex Ferguson, the coaching legend at Manchester United, who had led the club to win seven league titles, four FA Cups, one European Cup Winners Cup (1991) and the Champions League in 1999, praised "Toppmöller's fantastic work." But there was no doubt in the minds of the English media: United would knock out the "unglamorous opponents" (Daily Mail). The Premier League champions had secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Chelsea at the weekend and were now two points behind league leaders Arsenal.

The match

As in the decider in the second group stage at Deportivo, Toppmöller played with a lone striker up front at Old Trafford. Dimitar Berbatov did the job in the place of the injured Thomas Brdaric. Leverkusen, playing in a blue kit, initially ceded the initiative to the hosts. Manchester United made an impressive start with van Nistelrooy looking lively. The Dutchman also provided the fortunate assist – due to a deflection off Boris Zivkovic – for the opening goal scored by Solskjaer (29'). The visitors, who were now moving the ball well, gained courage in the match. Diego Placente and Zé Roberto were effective on the left flank, Yildiray Bastürk was busy in central midfield, and Berbatov missed a great chance to level with a header (34'). Jens Nowotny went off injured at half-time and he was replaced by Zoltan Sebescen with Boris Zivkovic moving to the right side in central defence. Bayer 04 were clearly on top in the second half as they upped the tempo and were rewarded just after the hour mark with the equaliser when Michael Ballack volleyed in a cross from Bernd Schneider to level the scores at 1-1 (62'). Just five minutes later, van Nistelrooy was clumsily blocked by Zé Roberto in the penalty area and the striker stepped up to convert the penalty and restore the lead for the hosts. But Leverkusen kept going in this great match. The Werkself played exciting attacking football and again and again created scoring opportunities. The richly deserved equaliser at 2-2 was scored by Oliver Neuville, three minutes after coming off the bench, following a blocked shot from Bastürk (75').

Moments of the match

There was not only plenty of goalmouth action in this enthralling encounter but also a lot of exciting challenges. The 68,000 spectators at Old Trafford were again and again thrilled by fair sliding tackles on both sides. At the end of the game, the brilliant crowd applauded the Werkself as they left the pitch. "A great gesture," said Bayer 04 CEO Wolfgang Holzhäuser. Michael Ballack "had goose bumps when he came onto the pitch at this wonderful stadium."

Man of the match

Yildiray Bastürk presented the Red Devils with big problems thanks to his impressive ball control and solo runs. The lively Turk was untiring as he drove the team forward, always looking for a direct approach to goal, clearly enjoying the game and running kilometre after kilometre. Toppmöller substututed his completely exhausted midfield maestro on 78 minutes after an outstanding performance.

Reaction

Michael Ballack paid "a great compliment to the team," after the game. "They fought brilliantly from the first minute and also played very well afterwards. That's not necessarily a given in Manchester. Anybody who gets a result here is a big team." And general manager Reiner Calmund was thrilled: "It was a fabulous game of football. I haven't seen such a fast game at such a high level in years." Goalkeeper Jörg Butt declared: "The coaches prepared us brilliantly for this game. Our tactics basically succeeded from the start." Head coach Klaus Toppmöller said: "We produced a performance we can all be very proud of. I was afraid we would forget our defensive work with our increased joy of playing and bold approach and fall prey to counter-attack." His colleague Ferguson talked about "a fair result in a fantastic game" and was full of optimism: "We'll score a goal at Leverkusen. It's not all over."

What the papers say

The English press were impressed by the Leverkusen performance. Even the Daily Mail, who described Bayer 04 as "unglamorous opponents" in their preview, acknowledged: "United need another miracle. Ferguson's men will have to call up the spirit of 99. The task isn't easy, Leverkusen played brilliantly. The German league leaders will show no mercy." The Sun demanded: "Bring on the final. Limping United can battle through to the final. Sir Alex said he could smell victory before the game . Now he has to put his nose into extra time to beat Leverkusen." The Daily Telegraph anticipated: "United face a daunting task."

The Spanish newspapers showed the Werkself great respect. Marca reported: "Bayer shake the foundations of Man United. Leverkusen exploit defensive errors by Manchester United." El Mundo writes: "Bayer silence Old Trafford. While the Germans produced a great performance, Man United only provided scares late on. The Sport recognised: "The Germans were not inhibited. Bayer Leverkusen proved to be streetwise newcomers and revealed their top form at Old Trafford." And El Pais declared: "Bayer demonstrated their talent in Manchester. Leverkusen were courageous and played good football."

And the Italian media were also full of praise. "A fantastic game," reported Tuttosport. "Two of the most traditional schools of football competed. Leverkusen deserved to win." The Corriere dello Sport prophesied: "Manchester United are almost out. The English club quake in front of the unstoppable Leverkusen team. The match should be used as an advert for football. For the Gazzetta dello Sport, "Bayer are the surprise of the season. The Germans conquer the stadium of their dreams."

Match stats

Manchester United: Barthez – G. Neville (P. Neville 18’, Irwin 88’), Blanc, Brown, Silvestre – Veron, Scholes (Keane 82’), Butt, Solskjaer – van Nistelrooy, Giggs

Bayer 04: Butt – Zivkovic, Lucio, Nowotny (Sebescen 46’), Placente – Schneider, Ballack, Ramelow, Bastürk (Vranjes 78’), Ze Roberto – Berbatov (Neuville 72’)

Goals: 1-0 Solskjaer (29’), 1-1 Ballack (62’), 2-1 van Nistelrooy (pen. 67’), 2-2 Neuville (75’)

Booked: P. Neville – Zivkovic, Ze Roberto

Chances: 7:6

Shots : 7:14; on target: 3:4

Corners: 6:4

Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia)

Attendance: 68,000 (sold out)

Matchday images

Support

As with Anfield, Old Trafford provided a great draw for Leverkusen fans. Around 1,500 Black and Reds supporters made their way to the city in the north of England by car, coach and plane. On the tour of the "Theatre of Dreams", many of them were amazed by the trophy collection in the club museum, treated themselves to a snack in the Red Café or briefly sat in the press conference room that looked like a mixture of a cinema and courtroom with its solid wooden panelling. The game was watched on TV by around one billion viewers. RTL had viewing figures of up to 45%.

State of play

Everybody was agreed at Leverkusen: The 2-2 draw left all possibilities open for the second leg at the BayArena a week later. I could have lived with a 1-0 or 2-1 defeat but our chances have risen from 30-70 to 50-50," said Reiner Calmund. Real Madrid had beaten Barcelona 2-0 in the second semi-final the day before and thereby already had one foot in the final.

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