Man Utd 3 Celtic 2

**Doughboy** · 14-09-2006 08:44 AM

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The long awaited Champions league match between Man Utd and Celtic finally kicked off
last night and what a great game it was too ! Just goes to show that if Celctic and Rangers were in the premiership they would get a run for there cash !!

Louis Saha scored twice to give Manchester United victory in the Champions League clash with Celtic.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink put Celtic ahead with a low shot after 21 minutes. United equalised when Saha scored from the spot after Celtic keeper Artur Boruc fouled Ryan Giggs, then the French striker swept home a second. Shunsuke Nakamura's free-kick put Celtic level, but Thomas Gravesen's mistake gifted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer United's third seconds after the break.

Saha instantly emerged as a threat to Celtic, with a header from Gary Neville's cross that drifted inches wide and a stunning left-foot volley that was narrowly over the top. But Celtic broke the shackles to take the lead after 21 minutes - and it was a goal Rio Ferdinand will want to forget. Boruc's long kick saw Venegoor of Hesselink brush aside a feeble Ferdinand challenge and score with a finish from 18 yards.

United equalised seven minutes later when Boruc was very harshly adjudged to have fouled Giggs as he raced out of goal. Saha tucked away the spot-kick, but the downside for United saw Giggs limp off with what appeared to be a hamstring strain, to be replaced by Solskjaer. Venegoor of Hesselink wasted a perfect opportunity to restore Celtic's lead after 36 minutes when he met Nakamura's free-kick but headed tamely at Edwin van der Sar.

United made Celtic pay for their generosity shortly after when they went ahead through Saha. Gravesen lost possession to Scholes, and he delivered an inviting pass for Saha to steer home. But Celtic were adopting a bold approach and restored equality three minutes before the break when Nakamura curled a perfect 25-yard free-kick beyond Van der Sar. Gravesen - who was struggling to make an impact - then wasted all Celtic's good work with another awful error to present United with a third seconds after the re-start.

He carelessly passed straight to Scholes, who once again played in Saha, and when his effort was scrambled clear by Boruc, Solskjaer lashed the loose ball into the roof of the net. Saha could have had at least a hat-trick, and he was narrowly off target with another header from Darren Fletcher's cross in the 63rd minute. United were now in the ascendancy and Rooney somehow contrived to miss from six yards after a surging run from Ferdinand, and was then denied by the excellent Boruc after he wrong-footed the Celtic defence.

Gravesen almost made amends for his part in two of United's goals with a trademark run and shot, but Van der Sar was equal to the task. Boruc was in magnificent form, and he produced his best save of a busy evening from his own defender Paul Telfer with seven minutes left. He somehow changed direction to claw Telfer's header on to an upright when he inadvertantly directed Darren Fletcher's cross towards his own goal.

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Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre, Fletcher, Scholes (O'Shea 79), Carrick, Giggs (Solskjaer 32), Rooney (Richardson 86), Saha.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Evra, Smith, Vidic.

Booked: Silvestre.

Goals: Saha 30 pen, 40, Solskjaer 47.

Celtic: Boruc, Wilson (Telfer 51), Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Lennon, Nakamura, Gravesen, Jarosik (Miller 55), McGeady (Maloney 69), Vennegoor of Hesselink.
Subs Not Used: Marshall, Balde, Zurawski, Sno.

Booked: Boruc, Miller.

Goals: Vennegoor of Hesselink 21, Nakamura 43.

Att: 74,031

Ref: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).