Superb Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has underperformed in big games the last few seasons, the same cannot be said this campaign. Ronaldo has scored in every knockout round, and tonight blasted home two goals, as well as making Park's first. Man-of-the-match.

Manchester United hero Cristiano Ronaldo believes he has hit peak form at exactly the right time.

This was after he helped to fire his side into the Champions League final in Rome.

United beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium tonight to secure a 4-1 aggregate success and will face Chelsea or Barcelona in Rome on May 27.

Ronaldo scored twice after Park Ji-sung's opener and when asked if he is now back to his best, the attacker told ITV1: "I think so, yes.

"In the last few games I have felt good, felt fit. This is a crucial time in the season and the best games are coming."

Ronaldo moved to spare Manuel Almunia's blushes by admitting his first goal, a 40-yard free-kick, swerved past the Arsenal stopper.

"The shot was quite difficult to save because the ball moved a little bit," he said. "I just try to do my best to put the ball in the net and it was a good goal."

Darren Fletcher's harsh sending off in the second half led to Robin van Persie's penalty-spot consolation and Ronaldo expressed sympathy for his team-mate, who will now miss the final.

"It is very disappointing, he deserves to be in the final because he is a fantastic player, he runs a lot and is a team player," said Ronaldo.

"He deserves to play in the final but this is football."

ESPNSTAR.com

Man Utd make record offer for Ribery

Yahoo sports - Manchester United have offered Bayern Munich 70 million euros for French midfielder Franck Ribery, in a deal which would set a new world record, the Guardian newspaper reported Tuesday.

The offer, which would better the 66 million euros transfer fee paid by Real Madrid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001, would be conditional on the sale of United winger Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, it said.

The report came after Ribery last week threatened to quit the German giants unless they qualify for the Champions League next season, as the defending Bundesliga champions struggle to defend their title.

The German club, which has long ruled out letting Ribery go, last weekend hinted it could sell the 26-year-old former Marseille star, who has been at Bayern since July 2007.

But the clubs reported as possible new homes have so far been Barcelona and Real Madrid.

United outgun Arsenal, reach Champions League final

It was a massive game from both teams. But the Red Devils crash Arsenal and reach the Champions League final in Rome.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side arrived at the Emirates Stadium holding only a slender 1-0 lead from last week's first leg, but United scored twice in the first 11 minutes to set up a 4-1 aggregate triumph that booked their place in the final against Chelsea or Barcelona, who meet in their decider Wednesday.
United, who beat Chelsea in last year's final, were given a helping hand from Arsenal as South Korea winger Park Ji-Sung punished an embarrassing slip from Kieran Gibbs to open the scoring.

Cristiano Ronaldo then deceived Manuel Almunia with a long-range free-kick, and the Portuguese striker put the result beyond doubt when he added his second goal after half-time.

The only blot for United was the red card for Darren Fletcher, who'll miss the final in Rome on May 27. But Ferguson can have little else to complain about after Arsenal managed just one consolation goal, a Robin van Persie penalty.

For United, the English Premier League is all but wrapped up, so the Red Devils can effectively concentrate on their Champions League final preparation weeks ahead of time. It is hard to see anyone stopping them, although Chelsea and Barcelona (who meet at Stamford Bridge in the other semifinal tie Wednesday) may have other ideas.

United's domestic dominance from 1998 to 2001 was a truly spectacular run, but this current period of excellence both at home and in Europe is even more impressive. Share your thoughts and comments below on where this United team ranks alongside the all-time greats.

Game over, and Ferguson could even afford the luxury of substituting Rooney and Patrice Evra to ensure the duo didn't earn a booking which would have ruled them out of the final - Fletcher was not to be so lucky.

Rooney goal 1

One of my best rooney's goal in Fifa 09.. check it out...

Many expected Manny Pacquiao to win Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Nobody expected it to be so quick, so brutal.

Especially Ricky Hatton’s fans.

The Hatton band, full of forlorn faces, slowly meandered around the media center after Hatton’s second-round knockout defeat. Its members were largely unable to muster even a smile when taking a picture with a Hatton fan.

“Stunned,” is how one member of the band described the feeling. “Didn’t expect it would be so fast.”
See, these fans knew Hatton could lose. They just didn’t necessarily believe it.

“There’s only one Ricky Hatton!,” the fans would chant to the tune of “Winter Wonderland.” They beat their drums, and they drowned out the announcers and anything else they didn’t want to hear. This was their fighter, their life.

And all the cockiness the affable Hatton refused to display, these fans happily compensated for with unabashed enthusiasm. They stood and screamed and chanted here all weekend, during the undercard Saturday night and throughout the main event until the very last second.

You know, the 2:59 mark of the second round.

A smaller but just as passionate nation of Pacquiao fans exploded while Hatton’s army fell into silence as their fighter fell to the canvas. And as referee Kenny Bayless waived his arm, as Pacquiao retreated to his corner to pray and then celebrate, all these fans from U.K. could do was stare in shock as Hatton’s camp rushed into the ring to tend to their fighter laying motionless on his back.

Even in the face of defeat, even stricken with the initial uncertainty surrounding their hero’s health, many of the fans could think of nothing else to do than again offer a chant.

“There’s only one Ricky Hatton …”

For what they saw, they still couldn’t believe.

They had crossed an ocean, painted their faces, spent who knows how many paychecks and rearranged their lives for this fight, only to see it end all too fast, all too stunningly.

“Vegas makes [the trip] worth it, but I don’t know about the fight,” said Hatton fan Gavin Levey, who traveled from Scotland.

The Hatton supporters weren’t the only ones coming from long distances for the fight. Pacquiao is as much of a hero in the Philippines as England’s Hatton is in the U.K., if not more so. And those fans, filled with that same pride, that same emotion, were rewarded in seeing their fighter offer a stunning, potentially career-defining (for now) performance.

Even the Hatton fans could appreciate this.

“We’re disappointed, but at the end of the day, Manny was great,” said Levey, draped in a Union Jack flag.

Said fellow fan Cameron Stark: “We’ve seen the greatest fighter ever.”

That remains to be seen. Perhaps an eventual bout between Pacquiao and the newly unretired Floyd Mayweather Jr. will help determine that.

But Hatton’s future is less clear. Promoter Bob Arum said Hatton will be fine, that he told him not to be discouraged, that he still has more bouts to win. But Hatton’s weaknesses were exposed Saturday night. And that wasn’t lost on his fans.

“Ricky should say enough is enough,” Lewis Baird said.

It was hard not to feel for these fans. Still, Stark, Baird and Levey had a couple of chants left in them hours after the fight. But some Pacquiao fans made it their own.

“There’s only one Manny Pacquiao!”

Pacquiao floors Hatton in Vegas

Ricky Hatton's reign as light-welterweight world champion was brought to a brutal second round end by Manny Pacquiao on Sunday.

A crunching left hook from the Filipino knocked Hatton out cold with one second remaining of the round and the Englishman, previously unbeaten in the 140 pounds division, caused concern as he lay prone on the canvas for some minutes as Pacquiao launched wild celebrations among his devoted fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Hatton, whose record now stands at 45-2, had been all business as he entered the ring while Pacquiao, now 49-3-2 (37 KOs), walked into the arena with a big grin on his face before reaching his corner and kneeling to pray.

Pacquiao had plenty of reasons to smile after a first round in which he launched an all-out assault, twice sending the Englishman to the canvas.

Hatton had started brightly, landing his jab as promised but he was soon on the backfoot as the Filipino warmed to his task.

In a torrid final minute, a right hook caught Hatton on the chin and sent him to the deck. He took the majority of the count from referee Kenny Bayless on his knees before rising calmly to his feet but with 40 seconds left to the bell he was quickly in trouble again.

A straight left sent Hatton onto the floor in front of his corner and this time he rose he had the relief of hearing the bell.

Hatton again began the second round well and appeared to rock Pacquiao back on his heels early on but he would not have the Filipino in trouble again and when the end came it was brutal.

Pacquiao sent a crushing left hook to Hatton's chin and this time he was poleaxed, out before he hit the ground.

Bayless took one look at the prone Mancunian and immediately ended the fight as Hatton's corner rushed into the ring to attend to their fighter and pandemonium broke out inside and out of the ring as his corner and thousands of fans went wild with delight.

Hatton stayed on the canvas for at least three minutes before he was helped onto a stool brought into the middle of the ring. He was also well enough to walk unaided from the ring back to his dressing room, albeit minus his IBO and Ring Magazine title belts.