Tuesday Champions League Roundup: Depay Dazzles as Manchester United Win
Memphis Depay scored a pair of superb goals to lead Manchester United to a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge on Tuesday night in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off at Old Trafford.
Depay, a summer signing from PSV Eindhoven, opened his scoring account with his new club in impressive style. With United trailing 1-0 in the 13th minute, the 21-year-old dazzled the home fans with a series of smooth touches before slotting in the equalizer. He then netted the winning goal 30 minutes later with a beautiful curling strike.
The win placed United on the verge of the Champions League group stage. With a two-goal lead after the first leg, the Red Devils only need to avoid losing 2-0 in next week's second leg in order to progress.
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| Astana | 1-0 | APOEL |
| Lazio | 1-0 | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Manchester United | 3-1 | Club Brugge |
| Sporting Lisbon | 2-1 | CSKA Moscow |
| BATE Borisov | 1-0 | Partizan Belgrade |
Club Brugge took the lead in the eighth minute as United's Michael Carrick turned a Victor Vazquez free-kick into his own net. But Carrick helped atone for the miscue by picking out Depay for United's opener. After receiving the high pass on the left, Depay juggled the ball past one defender then shuffled from left to right across a crowded box to open up space for himself. The winger finished the move by drilling an unstoppable low shot into the bottom corner.
Depay was at it again in the 43rd minute, giving United a lead they wouldn't surrender with another excellent goal. Accepting a pass on the left flank, the Dutchman cut inside along the edge of the box before curling a picturesque shot past the reach of Brugge goalkeeper Sebastien Bruzzese for what turned out to be the winner.
The goals dazzled the home supporters at Old Trafford. From that point on, the volume inside the stadium seemed to rise a few decibels every time Depay touched the ball.
"I am very happy for Memphis because a player needs that," United manager Louis van Gaal said, according to ESPN FC. "I said it was a matter of time and hopefully he shall continue. He is 21 and he has only played two seasons for PSV; I have confidence in him."
Van Gaal's confidence seems well placed. As Opta noted after the game, the last two players to score two goals and assist another for United in a Champions League game were Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. At 21, the inexperienced Depay is not yet at the level of Ronaldo and Rooney in their primes. But Tuesday's big performance suggested the young Dutchman has a bright future ahead.
United, meanwhile, will be happy with the result, especially after Marouane Fellaini added the third goal deep in second-half stoppage time. At 2-1, and with an away goal in hand, Brugge might have fancied their chances to overturn the deficit.
But at 3-1, United appear strong favorites to advance. The second leg is scheduled for next Wednesday in Belgium.
Around the continent
Lazio edge Leverkusen
Substitute Balde Keita scored in the second half to give Italian side Lazio a 1-0 victory over visiting Bayer Leverkusen. The Germans pressed relentlessly and had a goal ruled out controversially.
Both teams hit the woodwork during an exciting sequence in the first half. First, Leverkusen's Lars Bender powered a well-struck effort off the upright from long range, moments before Lazio's Miroslav Klose hit the post at the other end with a shot from a tight angle.
Hakan Calhanoglu thought he had given Leverkusen the lead midway through the second half, but the referee ruled out his goal in a contentious decision. Replays showed the shot struck Stefan Kiessling, who was offside, on its way to goal.
Keita then struck for Lazio against the run of play in the 77th minute, finishing in the bottom corner off the inside of the post. The substitute nearly added another goal in the closing minutes, but Bernd Leno saved from close range to keep the score at 1-0.
Sporting take slim lead over CSKA
Islam Slimani netted the winner in the 82nd minute to give hosts Sporting Lisbon a narrow 2-1 advantage over CSKA Moscow after the first leg.
Teofilo Gutierrez had put Sporting ahead in the 12th minute, but Seydou Doumbia equalized for CSKA five minutes before half-time. Doumbia missed a 27th-minute penalty for the Russians.
The same two teams met at the same venue in the 2005 UEFA Cup final, with CSKA claiming a 3-1 victory to become the first Russian club to win a major European trophy.
Doumbia was making his first start for CSKA since rejoining the club on loan from Roma. The Ivorian endured an unhappy six-month spell with the Serie A club last season.
Tuesday's other games
Both home sides won 1-0 in Tuesday's other two games. In Belarus, hosts BATE Borisov claimed a narrow victory over Partizan Belgrade following Mikhail Gordeychuk's 75th-minute goal.
Partizan played the entire second half with 10 men after Marko Jevtovic drew a red card in the 45th minute for his second bookable offense.
Champions League fans will remember BATE for their unexpected victory over eventual champions Bayern Munich during the 2012-13 group stage.
Meanwhile, Astana moved one step closer to making history with a 1-0 victory at home to APOEL Nicosia. Bauyrzhan Dzholchiyev scored the only goal in the 13th minute for Astana, who are trying to become the first Kazakh club to qualify for the Champions League group stage.
APOEL memorably advanced to the 2011-12 quarterfinals after beating Lyon in the round of 16, but the Cypriot side will have to overturn a deficit in the second leg in order to make another appearance in the group stage.
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