Giggs equalised

By Chris
September 15 2011

Some of the headlines which followed United's 1-1 draw with Benfica were frankly  ridiculous. These included "Giggs spares United blushes". In all honesty, this was a decent away draw for the Red Devils in what, on paper at least, is likely to be the toughest Champions League group fixture for Sir Alex Ferguson's men. 

Oscar Cardozo broke the deadlock for Benfica after 24 minutes as he latched onto Nicolas Gaintan's long ball to complete a classy move.

However, veteran winger Giggs broke the deadlock shortly before half-time as he drilled home a twenty yard strike to the delight of the travelling Reds.

Sir Alex Ferguson included Danish 'keeper Anders Lindegaard in his starting XI, and the 27-year-old's impressive display - including two important late saves - will pile the pressure on fellow shot stopper David De Gea.

United will be pleased to have escaped Portugal with a point. Giggs' equaliser came against the run of play and the home side, backed by a vocal home crowd, had more chances and four more corners than the Red Devils.

However, the press headlines claiming United will be disappointed with this result are well over-the-top. United have claimed a decent away point against their toughest challenges in this Group - and will be feeling very confident at this early stage of qualifying for the knock-out rounds.

United, who beat Benfica in the 1968 European Cup final, return to action on Sunday against fellow Premier League title challengers Chelsea.

Full Time - Benfica 1-1 Manchester United 
Attendance -  59,671