Manchester United have come of age. Win, lose or draw against Bayern Munich in the Champions Cup final, United last night thoroughly earned their right to be considered among the best clubs in Europe with a stunning 3-2 away win in this Champions League semi-final second leg against Juventus.
Few sides come to Turin and concede two goals in the opening 10 minutes and live to tell the tale. United did precisely that last night with a performance that owed as much to mental resilience and determination as to talent.
Those of us, your correspondent included, who had reservations about the quality of this United side were left in no doubt last night. This is a good side. If it is true that this Juventus side is some years away from the Ravanelli-Vialli Juventus which won the 1996 Champions Cup, it is also true that Juventus came into the game without the handicap of two marathon FA Cup semi-final ties against Arsenal.
Furthermore, Juventus were greatly boosted (and flattered) by as good a start as any side can ever expect at this level, scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes. That bright Juventus start, however, brought out the best in United. Within 25 minutes, they had equalised to put themselves in the driving seat thanks to the away-goal rule. With the game evenly balanced at 2-2 for much of the second half, the all-decisive moment came nine minutes from time when Juventus defender Paolo Montero headed a poor clearance straight to Dwight Yorke. The United striker rode a tackle by Ciro Ferrara only to be brought down by Juventus goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi.
Just as we looked to the referee to signal the penalty, up stormed Andy Cole to make the most of the advantage rule and score a memorable goal that takes United into their first Champions Cup final since the legendary days of George Best, Bobby Charlton, et al, in 1968.
Neither side had settled into the game when World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane worked a neat short corner with Angelo Di Livio before sending in a splendid cross that Filippo Inzaghi tucked away at the far post in the sixth minute.
If that goal seemed like the perfect start for Juventus, worse was to come for United only four minutes later in what was almost the next Juventus attack of the night. Di Livio, Dutchman Edgar Davids and Gianluca Pessotto combined well down the left flank before Pessotto sent a neat diagonal ball through for Inzaghi. Despite being covered by United's Dutch defender Jaap Stam, Inzaghi attempted a shot which took a wicked deflection off the unfortunate Stam, completely wrong-footing Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.
Ten minutes gone and United seemed out with the washing. Yet, the suspicion lingered that it had all happened too quickly and too easily for Juventus. With only 10 minutes gone, the job could hardly be done. Nor was it. When Juventus settled back to consolidate their two-goal advantage, they merely handed the initiative to United.
With Ciro Ferrara looking slow, Alessandro Birindelli uncertain and Mark Iuliano injured, the Juventus defence seemed spectacularly vulnerable to the quick one-twos worked by the United front men, Yorke and Cole. United struck first through Roy Keane, who knocked in an acutely-angled header from a typically sweetly struck corner from David Beckham.
Minutes later, United might have equalised when Yorke and Cole again combined brilliantly and might have been awarded a penalty when Cole was upended by Ferrara. On the 34th minute, however, United reaped their just reward when Yorke rounded off a stunning move involving Gary Neville, Beckham and Cole.
United were so much in control that they could well have had a third goal when Yorke hit the post following another lightning quick break down the right wing.
When the second half began, Juventus coach Carlo Ancelotti had little option but to ring the changes, bringing on striker Nicola Amoruso for bemused defender Birindelli and Uruguyan Montero for the injured Iuliano. With two strikers up front and Zidane free to return to his habitual playmaking role, Juventus suddenly looked a different proposition.
The second half started with Inzaghi first forcing Schmeichel to make a good save and then scoring a goal that was (correctly) disallowed for offside. For much of the next 45 minutes, that was the pattern of things. United, however, showed immense composure to ride out the Juventus storm so effectively that it was the Premiership side which went closest to scoring when Denis Irwin hit the post.
Juventus put themselves about a lot, but with Keane in central midfield and Stam in central defence both outstanding, the Turin side found it difficult to create even a half chance. Worse still for Juventus, there desire to get forward left them dangerously exposed every time United broke from defence.
Eventually, Cole exacted the maximum penalty on just such a breakaway. United head on to Barcelona. Juventus head for a serious reconstruction process.
