The second leg of the Champions League Round of 16—Manchester United away at Lille.
The lineups were nearly unchanged from the first leg, but it seemed Sir Alex Ferguson's scathing post-match critique had lit a fire under his squad. Six minutes in, Giggs orchestrated a blistering attack, only for Lille's counter to be snuffed out by a brilliant solo interception from Nani.
Claire watched intently, tuning out the deafening roars of the Old Trafford faithful. The tactical puzzle from the first leg still gnawed at him.
After the 0-0 stalemate, no one outright wrote United off—but ESPN's analysis struck a nerve.
"A draw that felt like a defeat."
Statistically, United had dominated—52% possession, 71% pass accuracy. Yet, the numbers masked a glaring flaw: zero cutting edge.
Lille had happily let United pass sideways in midfield, locking them out of the final third. Ferguson himself admitted it post-match: "We camped in their half but couldn't break through."
Claire's diagnosis? Midfield creativity anemia.
Now, the game was proving him right.
United's forwards and wingbacks pressed high, but Lille's 22-year-old backup striker Fred outmuscled Nani, stealing the ball mid-pass. Then—Karim Benzema entered the fray.
The French prodigy eyed Cristiano Ronaldo like a rival, dribbling past him with a smirk before slicing through United's defense. Gary Neville and Patrice Evra scrambled, Rio Ferdinand sprinted back—too late.
Benzema dummy-passed to Abidal.
GOAL.
0-1.
Lille's away goal ignited their bench and detonated Ferguson's temper. The midfield? Still missing in action.
"You're going on early," Park muttered beside Claire.
The entire substitute bench swiveled their heads—first at Claire, then at Ferguson, now slamming his tactics board while Carlos Queiroz kept glancing over.
Claire stood, stretching—and the stadium erupted.
His unofficial anthem blared, the jumbotron zoomed in, and Queiroz strode over.
"Guess I'm up?" Claire grinned.
"If you pull another Arsenal/Chelsea miracle, the gaffer might even get you a raise," Queiroz quipped.
The plan was simple: Feed the attack. Find Giggs (on fire today).
But the substitutions shocked everyone—Evra AND Neville off, replaced by Claire and Alan Smith.
"Boss must hate our fullbacks today," Smith whispered as they waited at the touchline.
Claire played diplomat. "Let's just get lucky and create some chances, yeah?"
The fourth official raised the board. 45'+3—United hadn't equalized. In fact, Evra's blunder nearly gifted Lille a second.
Ferguson stormed over, grabbing Claire's jersey.
"Rip those bastards apart. No goal? You're sleeping in the stadium dormitory."
Claire smirked. "15 minutes. Or I'll turn in my boots."
Ferguson ignored him,Smith—the once-promised heir to Roy Keane—with stricter instructions.