Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive goal against his former club as Real Madrid knocked 10-man Manchester United out of the Champions League tonight with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford.
© PA Photos
The Premier League leaders moved into an aggregate advantage when Sergio Ramos diverted a low cross from Nani into his own net just after the break.
The Portuguese winger soon turned villain, though, when he was sent off on 56 minutes in an incident that changed the flow of a last-16 tie that United had previously been in control of.
© PA Photos
Substitute Luka Modric levelled the Old Trafford fixture before Ronaldo, who spent six seasons with the Red Devils, netted a crucial second to guarantee Madrid's progression to the quarter-finals.
Danny Welbeck, surprisingly preferred to Wayne Rooney in the United attack, twice came close to putting the hosts ahead in the opening 45 minutes.
After Nemanja Vidic's forceful header cannoned back off the post, Madrid keeper Diego Lopez was fortunate that the rebound struck the England international and rolled into his legs on the goalline.
The stand-in stopper had another shaky moment before the break, unconvincingly palming Robin van Persie's stinging shot into the path of Welbeck, whose follow-up effort was turned over the crossbar by a sprawling Lopez.
United were rewarded for their first-half superiority when Nani robbed Raphael Varane of the ball and drilled a cross into the net off a helpless Ramos.
Van Persie had appeared to be in an offside position in the buildup to the goal, but a more significant decision from referee Cuneyt Cakir went against United just minutes later.
While attempting to pluck a clearance out of the sky, Nani connected with Alvaro Arbeloa and was dismissed for a high foot, much to the visible anger of United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
© PA Photos
It took only 10 minutes for Madrid to capitalise on their numerical advantage as Modric, much criticised since his £33m summer move from Tottenham Hotspur, skipped past Michael Carrick on the edge of the box and shot powerfully in off the post.
Predictably, it was Ronaldo who had the final word as he put Los Blancos into an unassailable lead, tapping in Gonzalo Higuain's cross at the back post following a delightful flick from Mesut Ozil.
© PA Photos
Ferguson introduced Rooney to the action as United went in search of a dramatic comeback, but he wastefully headed over a glorious chance to reduce the deficit.
When the Red Devils did find the target, Lopez showed more competence than he did in the first period by saving excellently from Carrick, Van Persie and Vidic as United exited Europe's premier competition.
No Data Analysis info
