Ferguson rues late Porto strike
Sir Alex Ferguson criticised Manchester United's concentration after Porto's late strike earned a 2-2 draw in the their Champions League first-leg tie.
Carlos Tevez struck after 85 minutes to give United an undeserved lead in their quarter-final encounter but Mariano then scored a dramatic equaliser.
"To get a goal late on is quite a normal situation for us, but the one we gave away was terrible," said Ferguson.
"It's been a hard two days for them, but they were lacking concentration."
The fixture came two days after United's dramatic 2-1 win at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Porto have never lost a home match to a British team in the Champions League - but Ferguson is confident his side will progress to the semi-finals.
"We are used to being first and we need to be first again because we have to win," added the United boss.
And there was further bad news for Ferguson with the news that defender Jonny Evans will miss the Premier League match against Sunderland on Saturday after limping out of the Champions League tie.
The Northern Ireland international was replaced by Gary Neville after 72 minutes and joins fellow central defender Rio Ferdinand on the sidelines.
"Rio was nowhere near being fit for this match, so it is difficult to see him being fit for Saturday," added the United boss.
"Jonny should be OK in a week but he is a 21-year-old lad and this is what happens when you play two big games in three days."
United started the match poorly and Cristian Rodriguez put Porto in front after just four minutes.
Wayne Rooney capitalised on a terrible backpass from Bruno Alves to equalise before the break, while substitute Tevez put United ahead with five minutes of normal time left.
But Mariano struck after John O'Shea's attempted clearance diverted a cross into his path after 89 minutes.
And Ferguson added: "You get a 2-1 lead with four or five minutes left, you really should see it out.
"We only have ourselves to blame. You couldn't say it was a great goal or a manufactured goal but we just made the kind of mistake we are making at the moment.
"It will be a difficult game in Porto now, no question of that."
Porto boss Jesualdo Ferreira felt that his team fully deserved to leave Old Trafford with at least a draw.
"In the first half we were the team that attacked more and had more corners. In the second half we were able to keep out United's attacks," said Ferreira.
"We had a good reaction to United's second goal. It is a joy to see my team play like this."
And he said that the result proved his team have the belief to go and win the tie.
"Much more than the result, the players showed a great confidence and optimism," he added.
"We never forgot we were playing the world and European champions, but we tried to make it difficult for them."
Source:BBC Sports
Fellow Reds, what is your opinion on this ? Do you think MU is slowly losing its grip or just another storm in a teacup? Or more troubles is brewing up ahead ?
Please share your comment with me.
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