Cristiano Ronaldo First Match For Man Utd

Welcome to a sunny Old Trafford for the start of a brand-new Premiership season. United's defence of their trophy starts here today against Bolton Wanderers. The opening day of the season, everyone looks forward to this, Paddy. Well, it's a local derby, isn't it, particularly for the Bolton fans, they've won the last two games here. Well, they took five points off United last year, more or less, so an important month to win, Steve, particularly the first match of the season. And the way United have played pre-season, which we've seen, couldn't be in better shape, could they? Well, they couldn't, and I'll tell you something, the conditions here today are super, because that's exactly the same conditions as the 34 matches abroad. OK, all week the team news has been... Brand-new season, finally on the way then, as United begin their quest for an incredible night. United only 37. First touch for Giggs. And then for Ingotti, that came off van Nistelrooy, another big goal. Incredible, that, that Bolton have won 40 of those meetings over the years. Well, that's an amazing record, isn't it? Scholes will start on the left-hand side of midfield. Good ball to van Nistelrooy, Giggs making the run. Still van Nistelrooy, and I feel it was the French defender who got in the way. He would have thought he would start the season in the left-back position. Offside. And Solskjaer will do that from the right, drifting as we... Davies to Giannakopoulos. Back to Kevin Davies here. He wants to get the cross in, but Ferdinand clear the United. He does the right thing. Straight into the stride of Scholes, beautifully taken as well, just behind van Nistelrooy. Almost came to gallange from Gutt, not the second goal. Davies to his right, which he went for goal though. We know this guy can hit them, Steve. We saw some goals last year in the same position, Back to Scholes, might open up for him here. Still might, Keane. Out of Solskjaer, this is very promising. Deflected, very good save from Jeskelainen. Well, that's a tremendous save. All he meant was the cross, no question about that. It takes a touch off Gardner. Quick reaction from the goalkeeper. Good build-up by United as well. Just see the touch off Gardner, this is a great save, because that's going in the back of the net. First corner of the new season, which Ryan Giggs is going to take. Keane will look for the flick-on, just over. Keane has a bit of space now, so too does Giggs. That was deflected as well, and that's another corner. Back in from Okocha, that's not a bad ball. Might come to Kevin Nolan. Oh, and that's a very good save as well, at the other end from Tim Howard. I tell you, it's a lovely little chip by Peterson as well, and he has to save that. A good save under his belt. Yeah, a tremendous save. Let's see if Jaskier-Lane can be trouble here. Goes for handball, and Paul Dirken says yes, against Florent Laville. Between Ryan Giggs and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Will it be left or right foot? It's the right of Solskjaer. And it's a corner. Yeah, it just came off Peterson, little dummy. Giggs. It's a decent ball, and that was a good header and got it. Oh, that was a great touch, he had to. And they're still right. Scoles. Solskjaer is onside. Really good opening. Giggs was sliding in, and Jaskier-Lane just about got hold of it. Well, I think Ryan Giggs is complaining, because he thinks Hunt may have pulled his jersey, but it's brave goalkeeping by the goalkeeper again, Steve. Didn't play here last season, this is his first game at Old Trafford, and balls and colours, that's a decent ball. Realised how much time he had left. Good that, this is now Giggs. Red shirt, streaming forward. Keane to Scoles, his right. Onto his left foot. Pulls it wide. Peterson will try and keep it in. Well, that was a dangerous ball in there, and Peterson again, get free and that, right on the dead ball line. Fortune well forward. And Peterson. I'm not so sure it was. Comes Acotia then. Two minds there, Quinton and Quinton, when you're in there, something you don't know, just whiff it. I didn't know in certain terms from his captain as well. But a fine Solskjaer. And then of course, Cristiano Ronaldo. Really hung it back to Southampton, and he's arrived now on his debut for Bolton. And Ricky Butts just overhit that. He's a good picture of the oven. Nice touch from Giggs. Already six white shirts back. But he's away from Nafi. Giggs, is he going to have a shot? Still Giggs. He was trying to find Van Nistelrooy, I think. I just think when he came in on his left-hand side, the ball just ran away from him a little bit. You'll see here, it's a great ball from Ryan Giggs. The defender slipped, or rather from Paul Scholes, but you'll see here, Ryan, I think he just, when he comes in and he's right, just goes too far away from him. He just can't get that final touch. Davis! That's a good job, he couldn't keep that down. Well, you've got your chance. Offside flag is up. Yeah, well, I think it was right. The linesman's had it up straight away, and we'll see here he is. For Pedersen, who won it. Davis will challenge Howard. Now Solskjaer. Is he first to that? Unceremoniously fouled by him. It is to be Giggs. 35 minutes into the new season, opens the Champions account with a free kick. Well, I tell you, Steve, you can see the players here, they're absolutely delighted, and I'll tell you the reason why. Because they're not playing as well as they can and that goal is a big, big relief, and certainly a big relief for the manager as well, and a big relief to all the United fans in here. It's a great free kick. I mean, you can't get any better than that, the postage stamp, can you? Back to Davis. High one for Pedersen. Once again, Fulls get caught there with Pedersen creeping in behind. What's he doing there? Plenty of red shirts forward in this move. It's goals. It's the goalscorer. Good crossing opportunity. Cut out fairly comfortably by Ivankov. Phil Neville only as far as Campo. Good skill from the Spaniard. He's found Pedersen, and it's back to Campo. That was an important challenge from Phil Neville. Well, he's made it look good, Campo, as well. Of course he's played the ball, Phil Neville. Eric Jemba-Jemba and Cristiano Ronaldo. Might expect all three substitutes to be used. Possibility of that, Steve. Offensive situations. Scholes. We've seen him do that so many times. Didn't quite come out. Ferdinand. Hold the play from Solskjaer. Oh, brilliant from Solskjaer. Ferdinand. Oh, Scholes wanted the pullback. Conversing with Diego Forlán. Van Nistelrooy inadvertently. Solskjaer wants it. Here he is. Just overran it. Into Pedersen. Into Nolan. Yeah, that's a good... Into Nolan. Deflected. Lovely touch from Solskjaer. Couldn't get the touch he wanted. Oh, and Ryan Giggs is just a little bit unfortunate as well. Good play by Okocha. That wasn't called for. He should have taken his time. He didn't realise the time. This is Okocha. Wants to hit it. Van Nistelrooy. Five waiting for the cross. For once he could be the provider here. A little bit of danger there. Neville does well to cut the cross out. Lots of United players in the box. Okocha. Needed a second touch but he was very quick to get up. He only signed three days ago. The 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is coming on for Nicky Buck. Well, we've been talking about him all week, Steve. I mean, I think the crowd have got that excited and expected miracles off this kid. First touch for Ronaldo at the end of last season. Hasn't been that gulf today but that's a lovely ball to Giggs. Van Nistelrooy's waiting. Just too close to the goalkeeper. Just too close to the goal. And a careless ball from Mikel. Now the federal light comes to him. Scholes. Van Nistelrooy. Walter Keane. He goes. Just lost his footing unfortunately at the crucial time. As you say, Paddy. He wouldn't have put too much pressure on the kid but he is. That's a free kick. Kevin Nolan. From Portugal. Who committed the foul and it's a penalty to United. Well, he's pulled him from the back. He's going to get booked for it. Last season. To try and open his account for this season. Great save. He's went the right way. Not very much different from the penalty he took last season. Jemba, Jemba. Nice ball. Ronaldo. Keane in support here. He's still got the cross in. Look at that. Just over Van Nistelrooy. It'll still come to Scholes. And Van Nistelrooy. Giggs. Goal cushion. And both the goals from Ryan Giggs. There's that little bit of daylight between United and Bolton Wanderers. Well, who's the one that does all the damage? Ronaldo. That's a great one as well from Ronaldo. And you're just wondering. How did he get the cross in Steve? How did he get the cross in? He's so close to the touch. Scholes. I can see the players already looking for Ronaldo. Here he goes. Nice ball to Giggs. Three waiting for the cross. Scholes was in there. Jemba. Great strength. Great pace as well. Van Nistelrooy is offside. Oh, the flag has stayed down. It's Scholes against Jaskolainen for number three. Scholes last season. He's up and running as well. Bolton are furious that the flag didn't go up. It was Jemba, Jemba who made it. And the scoreline now has a lot more of a relieved look to it. United 3, Bolton 0. Well, I think that Argenova was rude offside. He certainly was. But rude stopped. The ball hit rude. They might have a good cause, Bolton. We'll see here, Steve. He's offside, but he's on his way back. He just clicks off the back of his heel. There's no intention of interfering with the game, but he did. He touched the ball. So they'll be happily aggrieved that that's gone in, Bolton. As the ball doesn't... Why is it 3-0 now? He's got his hand up Ronaldo. I don't think he'll catch that one. Delroy facing out. Well won by Phil Neville. And here's Ronaldo. And he's in support. Here's Diego Forlan. If he keeps it down, it's a goal. Well, it's not only the run, Steve. He's picked somebody out. He's probably the man of the match. Ronaldo's lit the place up since he came on, hasn't he? Here's a chance. On the crossbar. Saves United. Delroy facing it was. A little bit lackadaisical. And Nistelrooy helping back there. He's a big, strong lad as well. He's a real face, isn't he? Here he is with the shot, which was deflected. Well watched. Well done again, son. Fancy's a little run. That's towards Forlan. Nicky Hunt came across. But here is the man of the moment. Drilled across! Oh, good. How did you miss that? How did that not go in from Rufan Nistelrooy? What a great cross, Steve. What a great cross from the young fella. All it needs is a touch and it's in the back of the net. I think it's touched his hair. What touched his hair? I think it's hit off a bit of his hair. And he's got no touch on it at all. That's a great team. Jemba, Jemba. I'll do it once more. To think only ten days ago we were sitting in Lisbon. Hit him. That's what we said. Scoles. Forlan's touch. Van Nistelrooy onside. Surely now. Penalty save. He might have just scored a couple of moments ago. But rarely does a United performance and game go by without a goal from Rufan Nistelrooy. What did I say five or six minutes ago? I can't believe he's missed a penalty and not scored. There's time yet, and he has. And I'll tell you, there was a lot of venom and disgust with himself, I'm saying, for missing the penalty. I'm not going to miss this. It's a great little touch here as well, isn't it? Watch this lovely little touch. Diego. That is a lovely touch, that. Can I ask for, I hope you're not attempting fake, more than a clean sheet on your debut? He cannot expect any more on his debut. Sensational. That was absolutely sensational. I'll tell you something, it brings the whole stadium to its feet. Dear me. He's got it all, Steve. As well as being good-looking. Pace and good looks. That's true. I'll take them away from you. Here is Ronaldo again. Trying to get the ball, don't you? Yeah, that'll do it. Just needs a little bit of room for himself to get the cross out. Jemba, Jemba. He's played his part as well. Forlán on the turn. Keen to drive. Forlán, he's going to hit one. Oh, that wasn't far away, was it? That wasn't far away. That's a great straight without power, everything. Just about prevented the corner there, Ricardo Gardner. Exactly the same player. Well, we saw him do that in Portugal, didn't we? Didn't we? Nasty challenge. He's going to get a few of those, because more and more defenders are going to be more and more frustrated in the coming weeks. This is the foot he's just been whacked on as well. Last few seconds of the season opener. That cross. Dear me, that's a magnificent cross. And that is a high way to end the season opener. The scoreline, in all honesty, will not reflect the way the game's gone for Alec Ferguson. It was a little pensive for 73 minutes, because they only had one Ryan Giggs goal until then from a free kick. Then he added a second, that after Ruud van Nistelrooy had had a penalty save. But he got on the score sheet in the end. So too did Paul Scholes. But it was all ignited by the introduction on his debut.