The Hindu : Sport / Football : It's all `natural' to Rooney

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 30, 2004

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Sport - Football

It's all `natural' to Rooney

LONDON, SEPT. 29. Man United manager Alex Ferguson has called him a ``natural,'' and Wayne Rooney showed that's just what he is.

In his first match with United after being out three months with a broken right foot, the 18-year-old Englishman scored three goals in a 6-2 victory over Fenerbahce in a match in Group `D'.

Nine-time champion Real Madrid and four-time champion Bayern Munich also scored impressive victories in the second round of the Champions League. Real rallied in Group `B' to beat AS Roma 4-2. In Group `C', Bayern won 4-0 at home over Ajax.

In other scores in the Champions League: Group `A' — Monaco 2, Deportivo 0; Olympiakos 1, Liverpool 0. Group `B' — Dynamo Kiev 4, Leverkusen 2. Group `C' — Juventus 1, Maccabi Tel Aviv 0. Group `D' — Sparta Prague 1, Lyon 2.

Rooney, who was leading Euro 2004 with four goals before he was injured, scored two in the first half, one on a long-range left-footed shot, and the other with his right from a similar distance.

He capped if off with a curving free kick from 20 metres, giving United a lethal look it lacked in a 2-2 come-from-behind draw two weeks ago against French champion Lyon.

Man United spend about 30 million pounds buying Rooney last month from Everton, which club officials said wiped out the transfer budget for next summer.

It looks like it's worth it.

Real Madrid, the biggest spending team in world soccer, fell behind 2-0 but got back into it with a first-half goal from Raul and an early second-half penalty equaliser from Luis Figo.

Raul and Roberto Carlos scored two in seven minutes late in the match to seal the victory.

It was the first Champions League game for new Real coach Mariano Garcia Remon, who took over after Jose Antonio Camacho stepped down following a 3-0 loss two weeks ago to Leverkusen.

Roma also just changed coaches, fill-in Ezio Sella stepping in when Rudi Voeller resigned over the weekend.

MaKaay strikes thrice

Dutch international Roy MaKaay scored three for Bayern — in the 29th, 43rd and 52nd — and Ze Roberto added the other in the 55th. Bayern leads Group `C' with a perfect six points.

Eight more games are on tap for Wednesday with big clubs like Arsenal, FC Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Valencia and Chelsea all coming off victories two weeks ago in the first rotation.

The results:

Champions League (first round):

Group `A': Monaco (Fra) 2 bt Deportivo La Coruna (Esp) 0; Olympiakos (Gre) 1 bt Liverpool (Eng) 0.

Group `B': Dymano Kiev (Ukr) 4 bt Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 2; Real Madrid (Esp) 4 bt AS Roma (Ita) 2.

Group `C': Bayern Munich (Ger) 4 bt Ajax (Ned) 0; Juventus (Ita) 1 bt Maccabi Tel Aviv (Isr) 0.

Group `D': Manchester United (England) 6 bt Fenerbahce (Turkey) 2; Sparta Prague (Cze) 1 lost to Lyon (Fra) 2. — AP

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