Coaches united in praise

By Luke Williams

Real Madrid CF coach Vicente del Bosque and his Manchester United FC opposite number Sir Alex Ferguson both hailed the quality of football after tonight's pulsating UEFA Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie at Old Trafford.

'Fantastic game'
United were 4-3 winners on the night but it was holders and nine-time European champions Madrid who advanced 6-5 on aggregate to set up a semi-final showdown with Juventus FC. "What a fantastic game between two great sides," said Del Bosque. "The game could have gone either way at any stage. The supporters provided a great example and the players did too. A fantastic occasion."

Free-flowing action
Despite seeing his side knocked out of the competition, Sir Alex was equally enthusiastic about a night of free-flowing action that kept a capacity crowd on the edge of their seats. "We've seen a game played in the traditions of both teams," he said. "I think Real [Madrid] know it won't be like that against Juventus. It was a pleasure to be involved in a match of that nature. It produced football of incredible imagination."

Record intact
United came from behind three times to extend their 12-match unbeaten home record in the competition and Sir Alex admitted he was proud of his players' never-say-die spirit. "In winning the match we showed our ability," he said. "I knew if we could keep them out we’d have a chance but we couldn't keep them out. I always felt we could score goals." The United manager also pinpointed when the tie was lost for sure. "Perhaps the key moment was just after half-time when Seba [Juan Sebastián] Verón hit a volley and the keeper saved [to keep the score 1-1]. If we'd gone ahead, who knows?"

'Worried and concerned'
Del Bosque admitted that despite frequently appearing to put the tie beyond United he was never able to rest easy. "As the game progressed I was always worried and concerned," he said. "Both sides had the chances to win – maybe a draw would have been a good result. The main thing was to get through though."

Ronaldo's night
The night's outstanding performance came from Madrid's Brazilian forward Ronaldo, who became the first player to hit a hat-trick against United at Old Trafford since Queen's Park Rangers FC's Dennis Bailey in 1992. "Tonight was his night," Del Bosque said of his charge. "We managed to create just three chances for him and he took them all. He also battled throughout and gave us a great target to aim at."

Worked hard
Another battler on the night was surprise United substitute David Beckham, who joined the action midway through the second half but still had time to score twice. Defending his decision to drop Beckham, Sir Alex said: "Solskjær on the right-hand side has been fantastic - he provided a real filip. I don't regard Ole Gunnar Solskjær as a sub any longer. But he [Beckham] worked very hard, as you'd expect of David."

'Marvellous chance'
While Sir Alex was left to concentrate on the Premiership, Del Bosque was able to turn his attention to the semi-finals. "It's now one Spanish team against three Italians," he said. "We'll be going out to defend our title as best we can." One man who believes the Spanish superpower can do just that is Sir Alex. "We wish Real Madrid every success," he said. "They've got a marvellous chance now to win the cup. I'd find it hard to choose a team ahead of them."