Rooney hands United Roma win
Rooney scored his first of the season to sink Roma
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Tuesday, 02, Oct 2007 11:31
Wayne Rooney scored the only goal of the game as Manchester United worked hard for a 1-0 win over Roma in their Champions League group game at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men inflicted a 7-1 humiliation on the same opponents in the quarter-finals of the same competition last season, but it never looked like a repeat of that scoreline was on the cards.
The Italian side squeezed the play and denied Cristiano Ronaldo, their tormentor from that previous meeting, the chance to turn and run at their rearguard and their determination to avoid defeat led to a rather dull encounter.
Tomasz Kuszczak saved comfortably from a Francesco Totti free-kick before the game's first real chance was created by a slaloming run from Nani on 33 minutes.
The Portuguese youngster's cross dropped invitingly for Rooney, but he snatched at the volley and sent his shot well over the bar.
Roma came close to gaining a lead that would surely have proved impossible to wrench from them when Ludovic Giuly slipped in Totti, but the Italian international's attempt was wildly off-target.
But United gradually turned up the pressure as the second half wore on and the visitors eventually cracked on 70 minutes.
Ronaldo had already seen a strike ruled out for offside when Rooney twisted and turned in the box before finding the net via the inside of the far post with a precision drive across Gianluca Curci.
With greater composure Mauro Esposito might have levelled when offered a sight of goal in the closing stages, but such an injustice was averted as he scooped his effort over the top.