Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (April 9th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, feel free to post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!
On this day in 2007, Ronaldo scored his first UCL goal in Man Utd 7-1 Roma
Cristiano Ronaldo had to wait 26 matches before registering his first goal in the Champions League but he followed that with his second soon after in this 7-1 mauling of Roma.
On this day in 2007, Ronaldo opened his ChampionsLeague goal-scoring account. Now the number is 124 for this brilliant player.
Man Utd 7-1 Roma
Manchester United staged a dramatic Champions League quarterfinal turnaround, overcoming a 2-1 first leg deficit by beating Roma 7-1 in the second leg and advancing 8-3 on aggregate.
The Italians entered the match at Old Trafford brimming with confidence. They had dominated United for most of the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico in a match that ended 2-1, but could have been much worse for the English side, who also saw midfielder Paul Scholes sent off in the first half of that match after receiving two yellow cards.
United, however, quickly dispelled any notions that they were going to roll over in the second leg, as midfielder Michael Carrick and forwards Alan Smith and Wayne Rooney scored three early first-half goals in quick succession (Carrick 12', Smith 17', Rooney 19'). Stunned, Roma pushed forward in attack, only to leave their defense exposed. Cristiano Ronaldo took advantage of the space, scoring goals on either side of the break (44', 49') to push the lead to 5-0.
Carrick completed his brace with a 60th-minute rocket to make it 6-0 before Roma finally drew blood with a 69th-minute shot from Daniele de Rossi. Roma's humiliation was complete in the 81st minute, as United back Patrice Evra knocked a low shot past keeper Doni to complete the final scoreline of 7-1.
The win set up a semifinal match-up against AC Milan, who beat United 3-5 on aggregate on their way to winning their seventh European Cup/Champions League title.
Highlights
On this day in 2018, Roma completed a sensational second-leg comeback against Barcelona
Barca were heavy favourites to progress after a 4-1 first-leg win, but fell apart to Roma's brilliant showing.
Defender Kostas Manolas scored the crucial third goal, heading in at the near post with eight minutes remaining.
Edin Dzeko struck early to give Roma hope and Daniele de Rossi added a second-half penalty.
The crowd at the Stadio Olimpico erupted at the final whistle as the Roma substitutes and coaching staff piled on to the pitch to celebrate with the players.
There were tears in the stands from those watching, not quite believing what they had witnessed.
On this day in 2004, Iniesta scored his first goal in La Liga with Barcelona
Shortly after debuting in the Copa del Rey, Andres scored his first goal in LaLiga. It was during Barcelona's second round of the domestic league.
In that season, the 2-1 triumph at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu is remembered, as it showed Barcelona's dominance over the galactic Real Madrid. Another match that is remembered was their 3-1 victory against Valladolid, in which Iniesta marked a goal in the 84th minute, his first in the league.
On this day in 1973, Real Madrid & Brazil legend Roberto Carlos was born
He joined Real Madrid in 1996 where he spent 11 highly successful seasons, playing 584 matches in all competitions and scoring 71 goals.
At Real, he won four La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League three times. In April 2013, he was named by Marca as a member of the "Best Foreign Eleven in Real Madrid's History". In August 2012, he announced his retirement from football at the age of 39.
Roberto Carlos started playing for the Brazil national team in 1992. He played in three World Cups, helping the team reach the final in 1998 in France, and win the 2002 tournament in Korea/Japan. He was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 1998 and 2002. With 125 caps he has made the second most appearances for his national team.
On this day in 1992, Liverpool and Senegal forward Sadio Mane was born
Having begun his career with Metz in France, Mane transferred to Red Bull Salzburg in 2012. After winning the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup in 2014, he was signed by Southampton.
In 2015, Mané set a new Premier League record for the fastest hat-trick when he scored three times in 176 seconds during a 6–1 win over Aston Villa.
He transferred to Liverpool in 2016 for a fee of £34 million, making him the most expensive African player in history at that time. Since joining Liverpool, Mané among other achievements scored in the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final.
Mané has earned 60 caps for Senegal since his debut in 2012, and represented the national team at the 2012 Olympics, 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
On this day in 1996 - Chelsea defender Christensen was born
Christensen began his career at Brøndby and joined Chelsea at the age of 15 in February 2012, making his professional debut in October 2014. From 2015 to 2017 he was loaned to Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he made 82 appearances and scored 7 goals. Christensen made his full international debut for Denmark in June 2015, and represented the nation at the 2018 World Cup.
