The Hindu : Sport / Football : Cristiano Ronaldo seals Manchester United's victory

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 21, 2005

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Sport - Football

Cristiano Ronaldo seals Manchester United's victory

LONDON, FEB. 20. Wayne Rooney failed to score on his first return to Everton, but Manchester United did not need him in a 2-0 victory in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Booed when he stepped onto the field at Goodison Park, the 19-year-old Liverpool native also got a smattering of cheers from fans who still adore him despite his $50 million move over the summer to United.

Quinton Fortune put Manchester United ahead in the 23rd — with a header off a cross from Cristiano Ronaldo — and Ronaldo sealed the win with a 58th-minute goal.

Rooney had a handful of chances to score. The best might have come seconds from the end when Everton goalkeeper Nigel Martyn made a sprawling save on a close-in Rooney shot.

Stepped up security did not prevent United 'keeper Roy Carroll from being struck in the head late in the game by a mobile phone thrown from the stands. Carroll winced in pain after being hit, but finished the game.

Also on Saturday, Andy Gray converted a penalty in second-half injury time, lifting Sheffield United to a 1-1 draw with 10-man Arsenal.

Gray slammed the penalty behind Arsenal 'keeper Manuel Almunia after Swiss defender Philippe Senderos was called for a handball.

Substitute Robert Pires put the Gunners ahead in the 78th at Highbury.

Southampton, another Premier League side, also faces a replay against a lower division team. The Saints drew 2-2 with division-one Brentford.

In other matches, Bolton defeated Fulham 1-0 in a game of Premier League rivals, and Leicester ousted Premier League Charlton 2-1.

FC Barcelona stretched its lead to seven points in the Spanish league after beating Mallorca 2-0 on Saturday, while Real Madrid lost to visiting Athletic Bilbao by the same score.

Portugal midfielder Deco scored both goals for Barcelona, which now has 57 points from 24 matches and faces English leader Chelsea in the Champions' League on Wednesday.

Bilbao got goals from defender Asier Del Horno and midfielder Andoni Iraola at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium to beat Madrid, which stays in second place with 50 points.

In Saturday's late game, Real Sociedad beat third-place Sevilla 1-0.

The results:

FA Cup: Arsenal 1, Sheffield United 1; Bolton 1, Fulham 0; Charlton 1, Leicester 2; Everton 0, Manchester United 2; Southampton 2, Brentford 2.

Spanish first division: Barcelona 2, Mallorca 0; Real Madrid 0, Athletic Bilbao 2; Real Sociedad 1, Sevilla 0; Messina 0, Juventus 0; AC Milan 1, Cagliari 0; Udinese 1, Inter Milan 1.

French first division: Monaco 1, Lyon 1; Strasbourg 3, PSG 1; Caen 2, Ajaccio 2; Toulouse 1, Bordeaux 0; Rennes 4, Nice 1; Bastia 0, Marseille 1; Lens 2, Nantes 0.

Bundesliga: Hamburger SV 2, Kaiserslautern 1; Bochum 3, Freiburg 1; Bayern Munich 5, Borussia Dortmund 0; Mainz 0, Arminia Bielefeld 0; Nuremberg 2, Bayer Leverkusen 4; Wolfsburg 4, Hansa Rostock 0; Hannover 1, Werder Bremen 4. — AP

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