SOCCER UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Man Utd 2 Aab Aalborg 2THERE WAS a point last night when the holders were in serious danger of being embarrassed by a group of players who could be seen, an hour or so before kick-off, taking pictures of one another in the centre circle.
Wayne Rooney's second-half equaliser spared Manchester United an ignominious defeat but it is fair to say Alex Ferguson's players made hard work of finishing at the top of Group E.
Their prize comes in the shape of a guarantee that the second leg of the first knock-out round will take place on their own ground. In theory, United should get an easier draw, too, although it will not have escaped Ferguson's notice that it could mean facing Internazionale and a reunion with Jose Mourinho.
It was a strange, disappointing evening from United's perspective, a series of off-the-ball clashes involving Rooney summing up their frustration about finding themselves 2-1 down at half-time to one of the weaker teams in the competition.
The damage, in the end, was largely superficial, but it still represented an embarrassment for a club with United's size of ego. Aalborg have spent most of this season in the lower reaches of Denmark's Superligaen, prompting the dismissal of Bruce Rioch as manager and, even though there has been a significant improvement in results since then, it was not unreasonable to expect them to be swept aside with near-contemptuous ease.
Certainly when Carlos Tevez opened the scoring inside three minutes the crowd probably thought Aalborg would be on the wrong end of a goalfest. If Tevez had made it 2-0 just a couple of minutes later, maybe they would have been. Instead, he misplaced his left-foot shot from a position where it seemed easier to score from and what happened next took everyone by surprise.
It started just after the half-hour mark when United's defence were guilty of ball-watching, allowing Michael Jakobsen to get a decisive touch to Anders Due's free-kick. Jakobsen had evaded everyone with a darting run and beat Tomasz Kuszczak with a glancing header.
Perhaps the most startling thing was the effect the goal had on the home side. Rooney's own frustration could be gauged by the way he brought down his studs on an opponent, Kasper Risgard, and there was a collective gasp of disbelief in first-half stoppage-time when Kuszczak was beaten for a second time.
Ferguson had chosen the Pole ahead of Ben Foster on a night off for Edwin van der Sar but Kuszczak's positioning was dubious, to say the least, when the impressive Due crossed from the left.
The Danes were suddenly finding space to exploit and the right winger Jeppe Curth headed the ball into the opposite corner.
The half-time whistle went a few seconds later and the general mood inside Old Trafford was one of bewilderment. Ferguson's team were aiming to make it 19 European games unbeaten, equalling the Champions League record set by Ajax in 1996 and Bayern Munich in 2002.
In Tevez's previous start, the 5-3 League Cup defeat of Blackburn Rovers last week, he scored three of United's goals and only three minutes had elapsed last night when he gave Ferguson another nudge in the ribs with the opening goal.
It started with Giggs exploiting the space between Aalborg's defence and midfield. The visiting defenders were slow to react and when Giggs flicked the ball between the two centre halves Tevez was on it in a flash, scoring with a confident right-foot finish.
Ferguson will prefer to put down the remainder of the first half as a one-off. Rooney, however, still seemed to be ruminating on it straight after the interval, this time tangling with Jakobsen.
It is never an encouraging sight for United when Rooney has worked himself into a temper, but a few minutes later he was responsible for lifting the sense of shock that was enveloping the stadium. Anderson's through-ball was beautifully weighted and Rooney had the time to compose himself before finishing with a precise shot from just inside the penalty area. The relief was palpable.
Ferguson, who rested Cristiano Ronaldo and Dimitar Berbatov, was entitled to think his team should have gone on to win, but Aalborg were determined to ensure they took more than just a few souvenir snaps as cherished memories from the club's first game at Old Trafford.
Guardian Service
MANCHESTER UNITED:Kuszczak, Neville (Rafael Da Silva 76), Ferdinand, Evans, O'Shea, Nani, Gibson (Park 46), Anderson,Giggs (Scholes 46), Rooney, Tevez. Subs Not Used: Foster, Vidic, Fletcher, Possebon. Goals: Tevez 3, Rooney 52.
AaB:Zaza, Bogelund, Olfers, Jakobsen, Pedersen (Sorensen 76),Curth (Caca 74), Enevoldsen, Augustinussen, Risgaard, Due (Kristensen 65), Saganowski. Subs Not Used: Kenneth Nielsen, Nomvethe, Braemer, Ronnie Schwartz Nielsen. Booked: Curth. Goals: Jakobsen 32, Curth 45.
Referee:Laurent Duhamel (France).
