ROY Keane's last minute sending off left Manchester United with a mountain to climb as the Reds slumped to a Champions League reverse against Porto.
The Reds failed to build on Quinton Fortune's 14th minute strike as Porto dominated possession and deservedly sealed a first leg advantage thanks to a Benni McCarthy double.
But any thoughts that they had got out of jail, needing just a 1-0 win at Old Trafford to progress, were dispelled as Keane impudently stepped on Vitor Baia to earn a red card that could rule him out for the next three matches.
The manner of United's capitulation would have been all the more annoying given that manager Sir Alex Ferguson had packed his team with fighters, handing an increasingly rare start to Nicky Butt in a vastly experienced midfield.
New look
The Reds line-up did have an experimental feel down the right flank, Paul Scholes playing in front of Phil Neville, but it was down their left that Porto found early attacking joy.
Wes Brown, starting at the expense of the axed John O'Shea, settled early jitters by seeing out a foray for a corner with Maniche firing spectacularly wide from the resultant flag kick.
And having played out the first 10 minutes in text book fashion - quieten the crowd, put men behind the ball - the Reds audaciously went up the other end and scored from their first meaningful attack.
A freekick 30 yards out seemed to offer little threat in the post-Beckham era, but a cute pass to Paul Scholes later and the ball was flying in to and back out of Vitor Baia's grasp for the grateful Fortune to pass home.
Having achieved Sir Alex Ferguson's first objective of scoring an away goal, United had but a few seconds to congratulate themselves as Carlos Alberto, a prodigiously talented teenager who might just live up to so exalted a name, turned two defenders and fired narrowly over.
With the usual European diet of controlled possession strictly off menu, United quickly had a chance to double their lead, Ruud van Nistelrooy failing to gamble at the far post with the goal gaping.
Porto, though, far from dispirited at falling behind, quickly found that the path to success lay down the wings and it came as little surprise when they levelled on 28 minutes.
Dmitri Alenitchev, finding space between United's defence and midfield, had already wasted one glorious chance in trying to cut inside a third United defender rather than shoot, but what should have been a lucky let-off was merely a precursor to the equaliser.
Sniff of blood
Again it was United's left flank that obliged the hosts, Mendes sending in a low cross that McCarthy latched on to with a first time volley that flew past Tim Howard.
Sensing blood, the hosts went for the jugular. Paula Ferreira, a player linked with a summer move to Old Trafford, burst forward from right back to send in another threatening cross and McCarthy almost added an instant second, seeing his shot blocked by Howard after Phil Neville had been caught in possession.
United would have been delighted to see half time arrive, but the travelling fans, hoping to see a reversal of fortunes in the second half, were quickly disappointed.
Maniche was wasteful with a headed chance while Deco, quiet in the first half, switched to United's over worked left flank and instantly set about tormenting Fortune.
With the air of a man who knew it would be his night, McCarthy wasted two minutes worth of patient build up by letting fly from 35 yards, the striker going closer moments later with a snap shot from inside the area.
Porto, though, were in no mood to rue missed chances safe in the knowledge that the next one was just around the corner.
With the impudence of youth, Alberto worked an opening and played in Deco only for the Portuguese international to blaze hopelessly over.
And McCarthy had time to waste another chance before United finally launched their first real attack of the half, 20 minutes after it had kicked off, Giggs wasting possession with Paul Scholes racing through on goal.
Change out wide
Having seen his fullbacks run ragged, Ferguson brought on John O'Shea for Phil Neville but opted against switching brother Gary out to the wing.
If the switch was designed to cut Porto's service from the wings then it patently failed as McCarthy rose to head the winner on 77 minutes, though in truth it would be unfair to attach blame for so wonderfully executed a goal.
Switching their attacking focus out to the right flank, Porto patiently worked the ball to Nuno Valente and the midfielder send in a dipping cross that McCarthy attacked with real vigour, arching his neck to send a stunning header past the flailing Howard.
United would happily have taken the full time whistle at that point, escaping with a 2-1 defeat safe in the knowledge that a 1-0 win at old Trafford would send them through.
But with time running out a blow potentially far more devastating than McCarthy's double was served out as Keane received a deserved red card for standing on Baia in a moment of madness as he chased Cristiano Ronaldo's over-hit through ball.
The United captain left knowing he had heaped another few tonnes of soil onto the mountain facing United as they look to land European football's premier prize. A three match ban is likely to be handed out to the Irishman, ruling him out not just of the return, but also both legs of the quarter final should United progress.
Will United turn it round in the second leg? Have your say.
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Off course not! Oporto is best!
They play a good foot..I like that kind of team!
That was an absolutely diabolical performance by the lads...where was the pride??? I cannot believe that this team is just capitulating so easily in every game. We gave in too easily, we didn't get the challenges in when they were needed and where on earth was the defending for their goals??? There were 2 men on McCarthy for both goals and they didn't stop him. These abject displays really are worrying me. I cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel because we don't seem to affect any changes to remedy our shortcomings. We're not playing with any fluidity and there is no stability in the defence. Keano, what the hell were you playing at getting sent off like that? We're understaffed as it is! The players and Fergie know where we're going wrong (judging by press interviews) but they're still making the same errors. Drastic changes in ALL areas of personnel need to be made at the end of the season. This is an altogether unacceptable state of affairs at OT and changes need to be made ASAP.
It could have been far worse.
2-1 is not too bad and can be overturned in the return leg.
The most worrying aspect was the amount of time United were split apart by clever passes - it is shocking to see United can be outplayed by teams home and away recently and it seems as though Fergie never learns from past experiences.
Saha and Ruud were so isolated and hardly had a shot on target. United's midfield was devoid of creativity and were workmen-like and lets not talk about the defence (or lack of it)
Can someone tell me how Fortune is considered a better defender than O'Shea?.....defensively Fortune was poor tonight and was exposed time after time and offered little offensively.
United will go through but the Quarter-final might be the furthest United go this season. It is time for United to consolidate before a season that promised so much evaporates into disappointment.
United are one player short of winning the CL again and that player is Ronaldhino or someone similar.
And finally, are we missing Ferdy?....YES!!!!!!!!!........
1-0 at OT and we are through. We also have an outside chance of a reversal on the red card. Well played Gary Neville. Trying to be positive here.
serious questions must know be asked why we did not buy a reconized defender when the transfer window reopened? fergie knew that ferdinand would be missing for a lond period of time, fortune is not a defender he is more of a fill in midfiled player, ronaldo is one of the most exicting young players in the world surley he would have given us that spark needed to supply rudd and saha, the biggest question of all is, are we missing becks? the answer is quite simple YES ! out of the new players brought in this season only 3 are worthy of wearing the famous red shirt, saha, howard and ronaldo, forlan is one of the worst forwards to ever play for united, as for the return leg its going to take a an act of god for us to make it in to the quarter finals, i am afraid that this season will be trophey less
we will over come this spell of bad games we just need the players to realize who there playing for. MAN U and they need to go out and give 100% every minute of every match as for the next match vs. Porto at home we got out work cut out for us but we can over come we MUST overcome
Forget it! Porto is the best!!! :D
Porto and Queen!!! :D
Shocking! What the hell is going on at OT? Takeovers! Mediocre Players! Mocked up defences! Legal disputes! What happened to the one thing that really counts - FOOTBALL? I looked at the starting line-up and nearly fainted. Did SAF think that we were playing against Juniniho again with such a short defensive line? Fortune and the Nevilles with Wesley - give me a break! No wonder Keano flipped his lid late on with this showing. Why didn't we get Escude last summer. Surely that would have been a better solution than Fortune especially knowing that Wes Brown would be out of action for so long. We might as well give Porto a bye for the next leg with Keane suspended and this defensive line-up taking to the field again. Maybe this season will be a blessing in disguise to SAF and Co that you cannot pay peanuts and skimp on players thinking that they are world class. Form is temporary and class is permanent. Cream will always rise to the top. I think RVN may well consider Real's offer this summer if we continue to field such dire line-ups. He must have been thinking "blimey look at the trash we've got lined up in this team! No defence. No quality substitutes. I thought that this was the biggest club in the world!?"SORT IT OUT GUYS! 'cause this is just plain embarrassing and gone far beyond a joke now!
United were never in the game after Porto scored.They had no shots on goal and never looked like scoring.It was one of the worst performances ever seen.They are falling apart for some reason.There shouldnt be any excuses for the team that was played,as they should have been good enough to beat an average side like Porto,with no where near the experience of United.They need to improve an awful lot in their next 2 games before the return leg.Otherwise I think going out of the tournament is the best for them,or suffer an embaressing defeat in the quarter finals to one of the bigger fish.
The seasons over as far as Im concerned,so the summer needs to be looked to now and sort out this years mess.
As I'm 6 hours behind GMT I thought I'd take the chance to get my tackle in first.
The signs of decay, even from this distance are obvious. Previous comments have referred to people playing out of position. I'll add to that by asking: does Fergie know our best team? It seems we've exchanged flair and panache for sweat and toil. Yet the huffing and puffing is simply not up to it. The signs of discord in the camp are clear, with Ruud's comments this week re Beckham and Keano's continued rantings, culminating in tonight's sending off. It seems Beckham provided balance not only on the pitch but also in the dressing room in terms of personality - he has been replaced in neither area. It seems we have spent a lot of money on reserves and the 'old guard' still do not have what it takes - neither in the Premiership nor in the Champions League. The hegemony is beginning to show cracks - many of them self-inflicted. 'There is no room for sentiment at OT' and 'no personality is bigger than the club' are two overused cliches, but perhaps they are ringing true in the ears of those who least expect it.
Run ragged by a team we would have brushed aside a few years ago.....Porto are a good team, but European minnows........shows how much our standards have dropped since the treble winning season.......as to what's wrong with the team, everyone knows, as they've been maintained on this website ad nauseum, but Sir Alex has been in a state of complete denial for such a long time now that he's draggng down the club he helped rebuild.........and there are blind faith people who still have their heads in the sand. Amazing.......
maybe with the red card kids going to be sitting on the bench for a few weeks . we could have a chance at winning . i think mr ferguson should have a long hard look at these players and get rid of them in the of season . their nothing but trouble
Why oh why did we give so much posession away? The passing was terrible. And whats with all the long balls out of defence? Almost every one of them went to a Porto player.
Never mind, we can still do it if we remember how to pass the ball to a Red shirt.
ItB4s very hard to win Oporto, the best time that we have. Pray to God to win Oporto. Mourino is a good mister better than oldfashioned Fergusson
That was awful! It looked like our players had their feet in cement. Porto were quick and agile, pressing the ball, getting possession quickly, running into space, passing accurately, looking sharp. We were none of that. There's nowhere near enough energy in our game. Slow, lethargic, disorganized, awful. And the midfield shape was all wrong again. Will Fergie ever get it right? Scholes on the wing is always a disaster and a waste of his talents. The only positives for me were that Fergie dropped O'Shea at long last, and Brown played a little better (though there's much room for improvement). Fortune scored but he's no left back - his positional play is appalling, being drawn into the centre, ballwatching half the time. Anyway, sorry for moaning so much. But it's depressing watching this rubbish. We look like a team that's not being coached properly. They are not being organized, they're not being inspired. Persistent individual weaknesses are not being addressed. How we miss Queiroz! Fergie / Phelan is certainly not working. Either both need to go or Fergie needs a new assistant urgently.
No chance of keeping a clean sheet at OT. A draw against Leeds, defeat against Middlesborough. What hope can there be against Porto? This club is in freefall and going nowhere.
Porto is the best teem. Why ? 2-1 !!! OK ? Whith 1/6 of your`s B#, we win. Why is that ?
God luck for next match.
Manuel, porto
Porto smashed any man united intentions at portugal. Man United barely had time to breath. Fergunson said that FC PORTO buy their titles in the supermarket....well ....with this so deserved victory i can only say that , "Sir" Alex was on sale....at the lowest price possible. FC PORTO is the uefa cup champion...the 5th team in the uefa ranking....does this say anything to you? RESPECT
After seeing MU woeful performance last night, it cemented my view that this season has already ended; without any chance of winning any medals this year. Looking forward to the next season already. For the richest club in the world, is this all that they can show?
i'm abosolutely gutted by our performance ..wat was Capt Keano thinking????but all is not lost , still have one more chance to turn it around when we play them at OT 2 wks time.. Come on Reds,,dont give up , see u in the Qtr-F..
So mel gibson, here i am to talk ^_^ I told you that FC Porto it's not an subdivision team... And Deco who, according to you, don't worth a penny, did want he wanted to do with the manchester team (in fact, whole Porto team did what they wanted to do with MU) The reds can be very happy from getting away with 2-1
I didn't see the Porto game but
paid close attention to it on the match tracker. While I can only believe United are going through a bad patch, looking back over the season, we've
been in this bad patch all season, waiting to breakout and
be United again. Hopefully it will happen but looking back now at loosing Becks, and then
gaining all those other midfielders, Ronaldo included,
all together they don't add up
to half the creative flair of Becks. We are missing him. We need something to help us unlock defences putting teams on their back foot. Instead we the ones on the back foot, and when the likes of Wolves, Leeds and Porto can do so well against United then we have to say did Fergie get it all wrong getting rid of Becks and then
not replacing Rio in January.
I believe Fergie has taken his
mind of the game due to his personal problems and that his
obvious hurt is now seeping into the entire team.
United must improve starting
this weekend and hopefully they will. Up the Reds.
I am so dissapointed with this match!!!
Is this THE Man UTD team that we r seeing ? Where is the slick passing game of the old? Where is the possesion game that the team is famous for?
The ball is most of the time lost to Porto after just 2-3 passes with defenders opting to send the ball all the way to the RVN/LS...hoping that somehow they would get a sniff at goal.....
Tsk Tsk Tsk!!!!
We were fortunate to lose only2-1.Saha showed really great skills and he and RVN would have done much better if there was service.For that Giggs had to take a large measure of the blame.He is a pale shadow of his former self and it was pathetic to see him attempting to beat defenders.On the one occasion when he did get through he was immediately overhauled by the beaten defender! SAF should have played Ronaldo from the start instead of Giggs.
Phil Neville proved that he could not play in midfield or defence.
Sometimes it's hard to understand why the players always under perform when it matter most. Eventhough our defence performed well, I think we badly need reinforcement in that area, and also in midfield. Hopefully Kleberson will be given more chance to start. I think Kleberson and Ronaldo, given the chance to play regularly, they will be invaluable to Manchester United. And I also believe that Sir Alex should stop fiddling with the squad anymore. When you don't have a fix team, it's very hard for them to perform. One player is being fielded when he's off form. Then when he's on form, he's either on the bench, or not in the team.