LONDON, 11 March 2007 — Manchester United’s hopes of repeating their 1999 treble remained alive yesterday after a 68th-minute penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo secured a 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough in their FA Cup quarterfinal.
United, top of the Premier League and into the last eight of the Champions League, took the lead with a Wayne Rooney shot after 23 minutes.
Boro turned the game around either side of halftime with goals by Lee Cattermole and George Boateng before Portugal winger Ronaldo leveled from the spot.
United are chasing a record-equaling 25th appearance in the semis and a 12th FA Cup success. Boro, who needed a replay in all three previous rounds, must again contest a second match at Old Trafford on March 19. United started well and it was no surprise when Rooney cut inside and drilled in his first goal since January.
Stand-in keeper Tomasz Kuszczak denied Boro striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu while United winger Ryan Giggs shaved a post with a volley. The equalizer came in the last minute of the first half when Kuszczak clattered into Rio Ferdinand and Julio Arca nodded the ball to Cattermole, who swiveled to volley into an unguarded net.
Within two minutes of the restart Boateng was left unmarked at a corner to plant a header beyond Kuszczak. Boro fans were beginning to think they had done enough when Boateng handled as Ferdinand flicked on a near-post corner and Ronaldo converted the penalty.
Schalke Falter Again at
Top of Bundesliga
In Berlin, Bundesliga leaders Schalke 04 faltered once again yesterday, extending their winless streak to four games with a 1-1 draw at Hanover 96.
Halil Altintop gave Schalke the lead in the second minute, deflecting a Mesut Oezil free kick past Hanover goalkeeper Robert Enke.
Michael Tarnat got the equalizer two minutes later, tapping in a rebound after a hard shot by Hanno Balitsch hit the post.
“It was a fair result if you look at the whole match,” said Schalke coach Mirko Slomka. “I thought we were stronger in the first half. We fought hard in the second half but in the end were a bit lucky.” Schalke have just two points from their last four matches and a total of 50. Searching for their first league championship since 1958, they led by six points four weeks ago after a six-match winning streak catapulted them in front of the pack.
The leaders were again missing their Brazilian playmaker Lincoln, sitting out a five-match suspension for a red card received for punching Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Bernd Schneider last month. Second-placed Werder Bremen visit Bayern Munich today. Werder have 46 points while fourth-placed Bayern, on 43, are riding high after two successive league wins and their Champions League victory over Real Madrid.
Champions Bayern were 12 points behind Schalke three weeks ago and had all but written off their title aspirations until Schalke’s unexpected stumble.
Third-placed VfB Stuttgart also slipped again, held to a goalless draw at home to VfL Wolfsburg. Stuttgart have just two points from their last three league matches.
It was a costly match for Stuttgart, with striker Mario Gomez suffering a torn ligament in his left knee and facing six weeks on the sidelines. Gomez is the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 13 goals and has been a key factor in Stuttgart’s campaign this season.
Aberdeen Beat Hearts 1-0
to Close In on Second
In Glasgow, Aberdeen beat Hearts 1-0 to move to within four points of second-placed Rangers in the Scottish Premier League on Saturday.
Steve Lovell cracked in a 16-meter first-time shot from Barry Nicholson’s low cross on the right to give Aberdeen the lead after just seven minutes.
Hearts’ misery continued after the interval when Ghanaian midfielder Laryea Kingston was sent off for picking up a second booking in the 64th minute.
Third-placed Aberdeen have 51 points from 29 games while leaders Celtic, who top the SPL standings with 74 from 29, face Rangers on Sunday in the Glasgow derby clash. Rangers have 55 points from 29 games.
Elsewhere, bottom club Dunfermline were held to a goalless draw by second-from-bottom St. Mirren, who now enjoy a nine-point advantage over their relegation rivals.
Hibernian beat 10-man Falkirk 2-0 with a double from Moroccan Abdessalam Benjelloun. Falkirk’s Dean Holden was dismissed two minutes from the interval for a lunge on Moroccan Merouane Zemmama.
Kilmarnock emerged 3-2 winners at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle with Paul di Giacomo grabbing a double and Dundee United slugged out a 1-1 draw with Motherwell, who had Paul Quinn sent off.
Toulouse Stay on Course for
Europe With Home Draw
In Paris, Toulouse kept up their bid for a surprise place in Europe with a 1-1 draw at home to Monaco yesterday.
Toulouse moved up to third in Ligue 1 if only for a few hours, 18 points off the lead with 43 from 28 matches.
Lille, in fourth place one point back but with a better goal difference, will go back to third if they avoid defeat at Lorient later.
Toulouse took the lead in the first half from a free kick by defender Jeremy Mathieu but Monaco earned a share of the points with Czech striker Jan Koller equalizing in the 76th minute after coming on as a substitute.
Leaders Olympique Lyon, on 61 points, and Racing Lens, in second place 13 points back, will be in action on Sunday, entertaining Olympique Marseille and Sedan respectively.
