Chapter 1,184 The Combination of Old and New

The day after Manchester United arrived in Lisbon, the first eight matches of the Champions League group stage kicked off.

The highlight of the day is Barcelona’s home game against Milan.

Before the game, most outsiders were optimistic that Barcelona, ​​which played at home, would defeat AC Milan.

However, Milan, the seven-time Champions League champion, cannot be easily defeated even if it is reduced to the second tier. In the away game, although they did not block Barcelona's attack, they used two Italian-style counterattacks to gain a valuable point.

In the other two highlight games, Chelsea defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at home, and Arsenal shook hands with Dortmund away from home.

There was no upset on the first match day, but experienced Manchester United coach Ferguson still did not dare to be careless. He still prepared meticulously for the next day, repeatedly warning his disciples not to be careless and underestimate the enemy, hoping to ensure an away victory against Benfica.

It is dangerous to have an opponent that is too strong, but it is actually not good to have an opponent that is too weak, because it is difficult to inspire fighting spirit.

The three opponents in Group C that Manchester United is in are too weak. From the outside, it seems that Manchester United will qualify and be first in the group. The outside world has said too much, and Manchester United players have believed it. Even if Ferguson emphasized it repeatedly, they still did not let their opponents go. In the heart.

The first Champions League match between Manchester United and Benfica will be held at Benfica's Stadium of Light at 7:45 pm on the 14th.

The Stadium of Light can accommodate 64,000 people and is rarely full.

This focus battle with Manchester United attracted the attention of Benfica fans all over the world. The tickets were sold out a week ago, and eager fans filled the stands one hour before the game.

Today, Ferguson put together a lineup with the most experience and the most balanced offense and defense.

Goalkeeper No. 1 De Gea

Defenders: No. 3 Evra, No. 6 Evans, No. 12 Smalling, No. 4 Phil Jones

Double defensive midfielders: No. 16 Carrick, No. 24 Fletcher

No. 11 Giggs, No. 10 Gao Xiaodong, No. 25 Valencia

Single forward: No. 9 Rooney

In this starting lineup, the most unstable position is the central defender position. Evans and Smalling are both too young.

The injuries to Ferdinand and Vidic gave the two young men the opportunity to start in the Champions League.

This is an opportunity and a test for them. If they can seize the opportunity, I dare not say that they will be the main player, but there will definitely be more and more opportunities to play.

There is nothing to say about the abilities of Carrick and Fletcher in the defensive midfield position, but Carrick has been in poor condition since last season, and Fletcher is back from injury. Can they block the opponent's attack? Whether the ball can be moved quickly during counterattacks is still a question mark in the minds of fans in the frontcourt. Gao Xiaodong's ability is naturally not questionable. What is questionable is Giggs' physical fitness and Valencia's passing.

The home team Benfica showed their best and put together the strongest lineup they could.

Goalkeeper 1-Arthur

Defenders: 3-Emerson, 4-Luisson, 14-M-Pereira, 24-Garay

Midfielder: 5-Amorim, 6-J-Garcia/10-Aimar, 20-Gaitan, 28-Witsel

Forward: No. 7 Cardoso

Regarding Manchester United's starting lineup, China's on-site commentator He Hui believed that Sir Alex Ferguson was a bit conservative.

"We won't talk about Manchester United's centre-back. Ferdinand and Vidic are injured, and we have to play Chelsea on the weekend. Smalling and Evans can only be paired together. We can't let Xiaodong play as a centre-back again. , but in the midfield and defensive midfielder, Ferguson actually has many options. If Pogba is too young, Anderson can be said to be in his prime and can completely increase the running ability and coverage of Manchester United's midfield. "

He Hui also had different opinions on Ferguson only sending one forward. He believed that for a team like Benfica, it would be difficult for a team like Benfica to send only one Rooney on the front line to threaten the opponent. Another young forward, Hernandez, has been in very good shape recently. Well, if Hernandez and Rooney are paired together, the offensive power will definitely be better than the current lineup.

He Hui doesn't know Benfica as well as Manchester United, but he believes that Benfica's starting lineup is definitely better than a mid-table Premier League team. Manchester United must be careful, otherwise it may capsize.

While He Hui was explaining, after Manchester United captain Gao Xiaodong and Benfica captain Luison exchanged team flags and emblems, Slovenia referee Skomina blew the whistle to start the first half.

The first to kick off is the away team Manchester United.

Today, Manchester United is wearing their new away uniform for the new season. Benfica's home uniform happens to be the same red shirt and white pants as Manchester United. From a distance, Benfica looks like a genuine Manchester United team.

Rooney passed the ball back to Gao Xiaodong. Gao Xiaodong passed the ball back to Carrick without stopping, and Carrick passed it to center back Evans.

Benfica played at home with great momentum. With just a few passes from Manchester United, Benfica's striker had already reached the edge of Manchester United's penalty area.

Evans passed the ball to Evra on the wing, and Evra took the ball forward and advanced along the wing.

Benfica was very defensive on Evra's side. Evra didn't take a few steps before he was double-teamed by his opponent. Evra had no choice but to pass the ball back to Evans who was on the sidelines. Vince passed the ball to the right with his big foot, and right back Jones passed the ball to Valencia, who continued to rush forward along the right.

After learning from the failure of advancing on the left, Manchester United strengthened its response to the wing and fully supported Valencia in breaking through the numerous obstacles set by Benfica in the midfield.

Valencia's competitive form has been far worse since he recovered from his broken leg. With the support of Fletcher and Gao Xiaodong, he was still unable to carry the ball through the midfield. He was destroyed by an opponent's tackle and almost lost the ball. .

The ball was controlled by Fletcher and then passed to Giggs on the left.

Giggs passed the ball back to Evra under pressure. Evra moved the long ball in a wide range and found Valencia who was undefended.

Evra's transfer across the half-court was very beautiful. Manchester United's left and right maneuvers caused Benfica's defensive center of gravity to shift to the right. Valencia could use his speed to get down quickly after receiving the ball.

Valencia did not live up to his speed. He rushed along the sideline to Benfica's bottom line and passed a kick into the penalty area to find his teammates who were advancing to outflank him.

Benfica defender Emerson flew to intercept the ball without touching it, and the ball drew an arc and flew into the small penalty area.

At this moment, only Gao Xiaodong and Rooney were the only ones Manchester United could keep up with Valencia's attack. The two of them entered Benfica's penalty area one after another.

Gao Xiaodong and Wang Cong are Manchester United's aces, and Benfica doesn't want to let these two people get shooting opportunities.

Goalkeeper Arthur did not wait for Rooney and Gao Xiaodong to grab the landing spot. He quickly attacked and punched the ball over Rooney's head and out of the penalty area.

This was just three minutes into the game. The Chinese team turned away and completed a breakthrough pass from the wing, creating a certain danger in Benfica's penalty area.