RVP Cetak 3 Gol Beri jadi Motivasinya Hadapi City di Laga Derby
RVP Boost for United as Hat-trick Hero is Given Green Light to Face City in Derby
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
 b.jpg)
Manchester (B2B) - Tiga gol Robin van Persie meloloskan Manchester United ke perempatfinal Liga Champions usai menyingkirkan Olympiakos 3-0 (agregat 3-2) di Old Trafford, Kamis dini hari, padahal pada leg kedua MU tertinggal 0-2.
Manchester United yang akhir pekan lalu ditelan Liverpool 0-3 di kompetisi domestik bangkit berusaha memupus kenangan buruk itu dengan langsung bermain menyerang sejak menit awal melalui kombinasi serangan sayap yang dikomandoi Antonio Valencia dan Danny Welbeck.
Serangan bertubi-tubi Setan Merah membuat dua pemain Olympiakos, Konstantinos Manolas dan Alejandro Dominguez, harus diganjar kartu kuning padahal laga baru berjalan 10 menit, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
Agresifitas serangan anak asuh Moyes akhirnya berbuah penalti pada menit ke-23 ketika Jose Holebas melanggar Van Persie di kotak terlarang. Van Persie yang maju sebagai algojo tidak membuang peluang ini untuk membawa United unggul 1-0.
Menit ke-34 Patrice Evra nyaris menggandakan skor andai bola yang disundulnya tidak ditepis cemerlang oleh penjaga gawang Olympiakos, Roberto.
Olympiakos bukan tanpa peluang, pada menit ke-40 dan 41 David Fuster dan N´Dinga bergantian melepaskan tembakan, namun David De Gea tampil cemerlang.
Van Persie mencetak gol keduanya pada menit tambahan babak pertama memanfaatkan umpan pendek Rooney. Skor 2-0 bertahan hingga jeda.
Tujuh menit laga babak kedua berjalan, Van Persie menciptakan trigol dari tendangan bebas akibat pelanggaran terhadap Welbeck.
Olympiakos juga memiliki beberapa peluang di menit ke-62 dan 66 melalui tendangan Domínguez dan David Fuster namun melenceng dari target.
Menit 79 Olympiakos menciptakan dua peluang emas melalui Domínguez dan Campbell namun masih bisa dibendung De Gea.
Sepuluh menit menjelang laga berakhir Olympiakos tampak mendominasi pertandingan, sayang peluang yang tercipta tidak berbuah gol.
Namun tiga gol Van Persie harus dibayar mahal karena pada menit ke-89 penyerang Belanda tersebut harus ditandu keluar lapangan akibat cedera dan digantikan oleh Fellaini. Hingga peluit panjang dibunyikan skor 3-0 tidak berubah.
Livescore mencatat kedua tim nyaris imbang dalam penguasaan bola 49 berbanding 51 persen dengan sama-sama melesakkan empat tendangan on target.
Kemenangan 3-0 ini memastikan langkah United ke perempatfinal dengan kemenangan agregat 3-2, sedangkan asa Olympiakos lolos ke perempatfinal untuk pertama kalinya sejak 1999 hancur lebur, padahal mereka nyaris melakukannya andai David De Gea tak menciptakan dua penyelamatan gemilang menggagalkan upaya David Fuster dan Alejandro Dominguez.
Sebaliknya, selain Robin van Persie, pemain veteran Ryan Giggs tampil cemerlang dengan merancang dua gol terakhir van Persie.
Manchester - Robin van Persie scored a hat-trick as Manchester United kept their season alive by storming back to beat Olympiakos 3-0 and reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
United were left on the brink of elimination after losing the first leg of the last 16 tie 2-0, but on a stirring night at Old Trafford the Dutchman´s treble took them into the last eight for the first time since 2011.
It was the first time United had ever overturned a two-goal deficit in the competition and made them only the sixth team to have clawed back a disadvantage of two goals or more in the Champions League era.
Victory was far from straightforward, however, with United goalkeeper David de Gea notably producing a fine double save shortly before Van Persie levelled the tie in first-half injury time.
United´s progress will ease the pressure on Moyes, whose position was the subject of intense press speculation prior to kick-off, but he will remain under scrutiny over the season´s closing weeks.
The one-sided loss to Liverpool left United 12 points outside the top four in the Premier League, meaning that they may have to qualify for next season´s Champions League by winning the current edition.
Van Persie´s evening ended on a sour note, as he was stretchered from the field in the latter stages after going down holding his leg, but Moyes played down the extent of his injury.
United, for whom Ryan Giggs excelled in central midfield, made their attacking intent immediately clear, with the forwards pressing high up the pitch and sighs echoing around the ground whenever the ball went backwards.
Olympiakos received two early setbacks when Kostas Manolas and Alejandro Dominguez picked up bookings that would have ruled them out of the first leg of the quarter-final, but they worried United on the counter-attack.
A low Jose Holebas cross had to be hacked clear by Phil Jones, while Hernan Perez should have done better than hoist the ball high and wide from 12 yards after being picked out by Joel Campbell.
Gradually, United raised the tempo, and after Wayne Rooney had put a header against the post from a floated Giggs cross, they secured a foothold in the tie in the 25th minute.
Giggs was the architect, his raking pass freeing Van Persie, who was clattered from behind by Holebas, and after referee Bjorn Kuipers pointed to the spot, the Dutch striker swept home from 12 yards.
Visiting goalkeeper Roberto then touched a Patrice Evra header over the bar, but United would have had a mountain to climb had De Gea not produced a stunning double save with his feet to thwart David Fuster and Dominguez.
Within minutes the tie was level, as Giggs -- again -- freed Rooney with a lofted ball into the inside-right channel and the England man centred for Van Persie to slam home.
United had the momentum and seven minutes into the second half they made it count when Van Persie whipped a 25-yard free-kick past an oddly static Roberto to complete his first Champions League hat-trick.
The hosts remained vulnerable, though, with Olympiakos needing just one goal to regain the lead, and there were heart-in-mouth moments when De Gea was obliged to save from Perez and Dominguez.
Ultimately United survived, but at the cost of Van Persie´s injury and a booking to Evra that rules him out of the first leg of their quarter-final.
