Madrid: Diego López; Arbeloa, Sergio
Ramos, Varane, Coentrao; Xabi Alonso (Pepe 84'), Khedira; Di María
(Modric 75'), Özil, Cristiano Ronaldo; Benzema (Higuaín 60').
4-2-3-1.
Man Utd: De Gea, Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra;
Jones, Carrick; Kagawa (Giggs 64'), Rooney (Anderson 84'), Welbeck (Valencia
73'); Van Persie. 4-2-3-1.
Goals:
0-1. 20. Welbeck. Steered header wide of Diego
López from Rooney corner.
1-1. 30. Ronaldo. Got above marker to head
Di María cross wide of De Gea.
The first leg tie between Real Madrid and Manchester United lived up to its billing, with the Premier League side having the edge for next month's second leg after coming away from the Bernabeu stadium with a 1-1 draw. It was an open match though with many chances for both teams, the first early on when De Gea just got a hand to Coentrao's shot to push it on to the post. With twenty minutes on the clock the visitors took the lead, Welbeck losing his markers to head Rooney's corner wide of Diego López. But Di María and Cristiano Ronaldo both went close before Ronaldo rose above Evra to head Di María's cross wide of the Spanish under 21 keeper. After that it was end-to-end stuff, De Gea blocking a shot from Özil before the break, and reacting quickly to keep out Coentrao after the restart. The best chances in the second half though fell to Van Persie, Diego pushing his shot on to the crossbar, and Xabi Alonso clearing his lob off the line a minute later with the keeper beaten. With the game coming to a close De Gea was there again to keep out Khedira, and Ronaldo fired a dipping free kick just over the bar. And in the last attack of the match Diego turned another shot from Van Persie round the post, the referee calling it a day before Manchester had time to take the resulting corner. A brilliant match, and we are still only halfway through!