Sport 25-09-2002 Manchester United End 36 Years Of Hurt who: Manchester United what: Beat Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 in Champions` League where: Germany when: Last night snippet: "If Ruud van Nistelrooy has lost his touch then I`m a Dutchman," says Shaun Custis in The Sun today. Manchester United, who had not won on German soil for 36 years, laid their ghosts to rest at the Bay Arena, where they were knocked out of the Champions League five months ago, with a crucial defeat of Bayer Leverkusen thanks to Van Nistelrooy`s "two first-half strikes which gave the visitors some semblance of revenge". "Those goals strengthened United`s grip on their group," says The Guardian`s Dominic Fifield, "though Bayer Leverkusen`s desperate late rally saw Dimitar Berbatov halve that deficit and nod Bernd Schneider`s cross against the post. Yet United survived and should now prosper." "We had some defending to do in the second half and we did that well," says manager Sir Alex Ferguson in The Evening Standard. Unfortunately, Van Nistelrooy didn`t last the full 90 minutes and Ferguson admitted that "he will maybe miss Saturday`s game". Elsewhere, the BBC celebrate David Beckham`s ten years at Old Trafford with a photo special looking back on his career. [... more]

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