On This Day: 12 years ago Paul Scholes stunned Barcelona with screamer to send Manchester United into Champions League final

On This Day: Paul Scholes stunned Barcelona with an absolutely sensational goal to make Manchester United into Champions League final.

Paul Scholes has played a huge role in Manchester United’s success in the Champions League and once again he played a crucial role in one of the biggest achievements by the Red Devils.

On this day, 12 years ago, Paul Scholes scored a stunning goal against Barcelona to make his team reach the final of 2007-08 Champions League final.

The first leg of the tie was played at Camp Nou, where Cristiano Ronaldo was very close to giving a 1-0 result to Manchester United, but Gabriel Milito’s hand blocked the attempt, resulting into a penalty.

Ronaldo took the shot but missed it much to the agony of his teammates. The game ended in a goalless draw, and the Manchester United vs Barcelona 2008 tie was left to be decided at Old Trafford.

Manchester United was back at their fortress with a packed Old Trafford ready to witness a sensational Paul Scholes goal vs Barcelona 2008. In the 14th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo’s attempt to penetrate the penalty area was halted by the Barcelona defence.

Just when the ball got deflected at the back, it rolled towards Scholes. The English midfielder didn’t think for a moment and let one fly, leaving Victor Valdes clueless. The Paul Scholes goal vs Barcelona 2008 sealed United’s spot in the final.

Watch the video

⏪ Manchester United v Barcelona: A spectacular strike by Paul Scholes in 2008! #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/rGlCHBWDhf

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 15, 2019

At that time, the 20-year-old Lionel Messi tried to close the gap with his attempts but failed and the Catalans were knocked out of the competition.

Also read: UEFA wants Premier League and other major leagues to plan of returning by May 25

In the final, Manchester United went onto face Chelsea and won the title, which proved to be the last Champions League title they have won till now.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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