Will it be third time lucky for Fergie ?

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side will take on Spanish giants Real Madrid in their second leg clash in the UEFA Champions League. The Round of 16 clash in Europe’s premier club competition is one of the most awaited matches of the round, with both teams on level pegging after the first leg ended 1-1 at the Bernabeu.

This is the 3^rd time that Ferguson’s side has drawn Real Madrid in the Champions League/European Cup and the previous two instances have ended in heartbreak for the English side. What’s more, in both instances, the 2^nd leg of the tie was played at Old Trafford and United were dumped out on both occasions by some Real brilliance from the Spanish side. So, will it be third time lucky for Fergie? Or will a glittering European night once again end in disappointment at the hands of Europe’s royalty.

Manchester United 2-3 Real Madrid, 1999-2000 Quarter-finals [First leg: Madrid 0-0 United; Real progressing 3-2 on aggregate]

United were the defending champions at the time  and were favorites to go through having completed a famous treble the previous season beating Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou to secure Europe’s top prize. The first leg of the tie at the Bernabeu ended goalless. So, it was all to play for in the return leg and in a straight shootout, Real emerged victorious on the night to progress 3-2 on aggregate. The contest bore witness to some fine attacking play from both sides after a subdued first leg in Spain. United had been happy to come back with a draw hoping to finish the job at home. The game will be remembered for Real coach Vicente Del Bosque’s brilliant tactical change that caught Ferguson and Man United off guard. Opting for a 3-3-2-2 formation in place of the regular 4-4-2 with Fernando Redondo the sole central midfielder. The formations allowed full backs Roberto Carlos and Michel Salgado to romp up and down the pitch constantly terrorizing the United back-line  Roberto Carlos in particular had a memorable game as he proved to be a handful down the left for Gary Neville and David Beckham.

The hosts suffered an early setback as a Roy Keane own goal put Real ahead in the 19^th minute. Though United controlled large swathes of the game in the first half, the equalizer never came. And after the break in a matter of 138 seconds, Raul effectively sealed the Spaniards’ progress into the next round; first, capitalizing on a 3-on-2 break from a United corner to make it 2-0 and seconds later finishing off a chance fashioned single-handedly by the magnificent Redondo who had what many claimed to be best ever showing in a football match. Redondo back-heeled the ball between the legs of Henning Berg, ran back to collect it himself and cross it for Raul who turned it in at the far post.

Needing nothing short of a miracle to turn the tie around, Ferguson brought on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham for Andy Cole and Berg and switching to a 3-4-3 formation. Then came a moment of magic from the previously non-present Beckham as he zig-zagged his way past 3 Madrid defenders to score a magnificent solo effort past Iker Casillas. United grabbed one more in the 89^th when Paul Scholes blasted an unstoppable penalty. But, it wasn't enough as Del Bosque’s Los Blancos ended the Red Devils’ reign as European champions and went on to replace them at the helm beating Valencia in the final to claim the trophy.

Manchester United 4-3 Real Madrid, 2002-03 Quarter-finals [First leg: Madrid 3-1 United; Real progressing 6-5 on aggregate]

3 years later, the 2 teams met again at the very same stage of the competition. The roles were slightly reversed this time around as Real had won 2 Champions League titles since their last meeting including the one in 1999-00 and well into the Galacticos era at the Bernabeu with the additions of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Claude Makelele added to the ranks. Man United meanwhile had slipped a bit, with losses to German opposition in previous seasons. Prolific striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy had become the mainstay of the United team after the departures of Cole and Yorke and was enjoying another stellar season after scoring 36 goals in his debut season. Argentine Juan Sebastian Veron had been brought into midfield with Scholes playing behind Van Nistelrooy.

Los Blancos were the overwhelming favorites and United fans’ worst fears were confirmed when their side got beaten 3-1 in the first leg at the Bernabeu. Amidst reports of a rift between Ferguson and star man David Beckham, Sir Alex consigned the winger to the bench for the game. The night was lit up by one of the finest displays ever seen by a striker as ‘El Phenomena’ Ronaldo ripped the heart out of United’s attempted fight back with a magnificent hat-trick. Three times Real took the lead through the Brazilian and three times United equalized.

Van Nistelrooy scored the first of them in the 43^rd before Ivan Helguera put through his own net to bring the hosts level a second time. Beckham came on off the bench to score a brace as he inspired a late United charge. But, it never looked like they would pull it off especially after the catastrophic damage caused by Ronaldo’s treble.