United suffer European nightmare Thursday, December 08, 2005
Ronaldo disappointed
Manchester United crashed out of both the Champions League and Uefa Cup after a heart-breaking 2-1 defeat by Benfica at the Stadium of Light.
All four teams went into the final Group D games with a chance of making the knockout stages as only two points separated top from bottom.
But it was Villarreal and Benfica who progressed, with Sir Alex Ferguson's finishing in bottom spot with six points from six games. It had all started so well for United, who took the lead on six minutes when Paul Scholes clumsily bundled home Gary Neville's cross.
The goal only served to galvanise the hosts, though, and they were level on 16 minutes when Nelsen's drilled cross was headed past Edwin van der Sar by a diving Deiberson Geovanni.
Scholes saw a 25-yard drive parried to safety by keeper Quim on 30 minutes - but it was Benfica who got the vital second goal on 34 when Gilberto Beto's 20-yard strike deflected off Scholes and into the net.
After the break, Ronaldo wastefully dragged an angled shot wide of the upright and Ferguson sent on Louis Saha, Park Ji-Sung and Kieran Richardson in a bid to shake his team into life.
But when Rooney planted a free-kick well wide and Saha spurned a good headed chance, Benfica were unlucky not to get a third through sub Jao Pereira or Geovanni - and United were out of Europe.
