Manchester United win 3-2 against AC Milan but Real Madrid defeat 0-1 against Lyon on Champion League. Wayne Rooney make Two second-half goals installed last season's beaten finalists as favourites to book a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Early Goal from Milan, a third-minute opener for AC Milan, created by David Beckham for Ronaldinho, could derail Sir Alex Ferguson's troops, although they were forced to endure some nervy moments at the end after Clarence Seedorf hauled Milan back into the tie five minutes from time with an audacious flicked finish.
It took a fortunate Paul Scholes effort to bring United level before the break. But after surviving another spell of Milan pressure after half-time, Rooney stamped his class on the contest, scoring his first two European goals of the season to take his overall tally to 25.
Patrice Evra's acrobatic attempt to clear that one set Ronaldinho up, although Edwin van der Sar had the shot covered before it deflected off Michael Carrick and ended up in the opposite corner.
Milan dominated proceedings in the first period, their passing causing United to twist and turn.
Ronaldinho, Luca Antonini and Klaas Jan Huntelaar twice came agonisingly close to finding Van der Sar's net again. If any had passed the Dutch goalkeeper, Ferguson could not have complained.
As it was, apart from Beckham, the only other United 'Class of 92' graduate on the pitch was about to make a decisive contribution. Scholes has peppered the intervening years with a number of howitzers, goals that will be admired decades from now.
This was not among them. Swinging at Darren Fletcher's low cross from the by-line, Scholes missed the ball completely with his right foot, the ball striking him half way up the shin of his standing left. What could only be described as a freakish deflection not only took it the six yards to Dida's goal, but right in the bottom corner, giving the Brazilian no chance of keeping it out.
Milan's response was admirable, given what a shattering blow that away goal was, Andrea Pirlo forcing a one-handed save out of Van der Sar with a 30-yard free-kick, before the 39-year-old Dutchman required every inch of his massive frame to flick a goalbound Ronaldinho effort round the post.
Yet in that one stroke of good fortune for Scholes, it seemed the destiny of the tie had been shaped and a minute after what turned out to be an inspired substitution, Rooney break his European duck.
Antonio Valencia, who had just replaced Nani, was the provider, sending over a cross from the right that allowed Rooney to steer a header back over Dida into the opposite corner.
Now the age in Milan's legs began to tell, and when Darren Fletcher chipped another cross into the box, Rooney stole between defenders to head home once more.
It seemed victory and progress was assured, so Ferguson will be livid at the Seedorf effort five minutes from time that ensured an uncomfortable ending and gives Milan a flicker of hope for the return in three weeks' time, when Michael Carrick will be unavailable following his dismissal deep into stoppage time.
Jean Makoun's brilliant second-half strike gave Lyon a deserved lead to take into the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash against Real Madrid.
Following a scoreless first half that saw Lyon make most of the running and also hit the woodwork, Makoun struck what would prove to be the only goal of the game two minutes after the break with a stunning 25-yard effort.
That goal consigned Madrid to their third successive defeat at the Stade Gerland, and the Spanish giants - whose Bernabeu stadium is the venue for this year's final - have work to do if they are avoid being dumped out at the last-16 stage for the sixth successive campaign.
An impressive Lyon side enjoyed plenty of possession in the first half and were not slow to try their luck when the opportunity presented itself.
However, all of the early efforts lacked accuracy with Sidney Govou firing into the side-netting and then over with two ambitious volleys, while Jean Alain Boumsong headed over and Lisandro Lopez pulled another shot wide.
At the other end, a neat flick from Cristiano Ronaldo almost put Gonzalo Higuain through and Boumsong needed to make a vital intervention to prevent Higuain having a tap-in at the far post, but otherwise Madrid produced little going forward in the first half.
The closest either side came to breaking the deadlock before the interval came in the 40th minute when Lyon winger Cesar Delgado hit the woodwork.
A Miralem Pjanic corner was deflected to the edge of the area, where Delgado caught the dropping ball on the volley and his well-struck effort rebounded back off the post with Casillas motionless.
The French outfit may have considered themselves unfortunate not to have been ahead at the break, but it took them less than two minutes of the second period to take the lead.
There appeared little danger when Makoun picked the ball up not too far from the centre-circle, but he was allowed to progress to within 25 yards of Casillas' goal, where he sliced an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the net.
Source : Soccernet ESPN
