After a rocky opening period in which Real hit the post, United shocked the home crowd by taking a 20th minute lead through Danny Welbeck. The England striker rose highest to meet Wayne Rooney's corner and head the ball inside the far post to spark wild celebrations amongst the visiting supporters.
(CNN) -- Jose Mourinho -- "The Special One."
Alex Ferguson -- "The Hairdryer."
Cristiano Ronaldo -- "The Prodigal Son."
The Oscars aren't until February 24 -- but the latest Champions League blockbuster and its all-star cast didn't disappoint.
The intrigue, the subplots, the glitz and glamor of two European giants steeped in glorious history.
This had everything. The master and the apprentice ably played by Ferguson and Mourinho.
The love affair between the two, the cozy drinks and the bottles of red wine, the terrible children cast as Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
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The best of "frenemies" is how the pair are described. If only Ferguson hadn't admitted to leaving his finest claret on the airplane.
Enter stage left, Real Madrid -- the nine-time winner of the European Cup led by the man who once wore the red of United with such distinction.
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Ronaldo -- all $124 million of him -- is the man who lives a movie star existence, scoring goals for fun, 183 in 180 appearances since his move from Manchester in 2009.
Real, the first club to ever break the $650.5 million revenue barrier in a single year and the most successful club side in the history of European football.
Then of course there's Mourinho, the man constantly linked with a move to Manchester when Ferguson eventually retires.
Suave and sophisticated with his film star looks, Mourinho's departure from England in September 2007 is still mourned to this day. A natural on camera, a wonderful way with words and his ability to charm, made him a favorite with the country's football aficionados.
With Real 16 points behind Barcelona in the Spanish league and Mourinho already stating that his next club will be in England, perhaps this duel with Ferguson could be considered an audition.
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If so, then perhaps it is the elder statesman who holds the aces.
Ferguson has always claimed that United's three European titles are not enough for a club of its magnitude.
Whether his team will add to that collection this year remains open to question, but after securing a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu, United will retain lofty ambitions.
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Hundreds of fans and journalists flocked to the Paris Saint-Germain training ground Wednesday to get a glimpse of David Beckham in action on the practice field. The interest in Beckham's move to the French club has caused huge excitement with the anticipation building ahead of the midfielder's possible debut on Sunday.
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This contest had everything.
There were goals -- Ronaldo scoring against his former club -- moments of controversy, world-class saves.
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It was pulsating, breathless, two heavyweights of the beautiful game slugging it out at the very highest level amid one of the most dramatic settings in world football.
A cauldron of noise and expectation greeted the players and yet, in one single movement of Danny Welbeck's head, the Bernabeu was silenced.
Rooney, on the periphery of the action for much of the night, sent in a corner and the young England striker rose highest to plant a header into the far corner -- only his second goal in 28 games.
First blood to United
So many had predicted Real would use their attacking prowess to blow holes in a United side deprived of warrior-like defender Nemanja Vidic.
But this is Manchester United -- this is a club which knows how to fight, to survive when the odds are stacked heavily against it.
It may not be able to match the nine European titles of Real, but this is a club which has made the final in 2008, 2009 and 2011 on top of its three successes.
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Real's history and appeal worldwide is well known, but United are catching up both on the pitch and off it.
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Celtic had suffered just two home defeats in 23 Champions League games before welcoming Juventus to Parkhead. The Scottish champion saw off the might of Barcelona in the Group Stage with the famous Celtic atmosphere a huge factor in the team's success.
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The Real Madrid team poses for a photograph ahead of the second leg of the European Cup semifinal against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 1957 with captain Alfredo Di Stefano clutching his side's pennant.
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Finacially, United continue to reach new audiences and according to Austin Houlihan, Senior Manager in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, the club is on track to overhaul the Spaniards.
"Manchester United continue to successfully leverage their global brand," he said following the publishing of the annual Football Money League table.
"The new world-record seven-year shirt sponsorship deal with General Motors will double the revenues the club receives from its shirt partner in the first season of the new deal in 2014-15.
"This combined with new Premier League broadcast deals from 2013-14, which will deliver incremental distributions of between £20 million ($31.7 million) and £30 million ($47.5 million) per club, will help Manchester United push the two Spanish clubs above them, for a top two ranking."
While money matters, there can be no doubt that the biggest bargain was Real's decision to throw piles of cash at United for Ronaldo.
It was his equalizer on 30 minutes which caught the eye, his ability to hang in the air and generate an unfathomable amount of power to head the ball into the net remains a joy to behold.
From there on it was simply wonderful to watch.
Robin van Persie hit the crossbar and had another effort hacked off the line, while the much-maligned David De Gea produced an astonishing performance in the United goal, fending off every effort which came within his grasp.
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Both teams had opportunities, Real might have even been reduced to 10 men had the referee not afforded Raphael Varane a huge let-off for his foul on Patrice Evra as last man.
The sequel at Old Trafford on March 5 cannot come quickly enough following this latest installment in the fascinating duel between the master and his apprentice.
Mourinho will remember all too well how he danced down the Old Trafford touchline when Porto shocked United back in 2004 on the way to winning the competition. This tie is not over.
"They defended well and the result is open," Mourinho told Sky Sports. "If you ask me percentages, I don't change one single number -- 50/50.
Nigeria's captain Joseph Yobo holds the Africa Cup of Nations trophy, which had been handed to him by South African President Jacob Zuma (L) at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg.
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The fabrication of players' ages continues to be a problem for football. One international -- Democratic Republic of Congo defender Chancel Mbemba Mangulu -- has "four different birthdays".
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Substitute Didier Drogba (left) celebrates with Yaya Toure after the midfielder put the Ivory Coast 2-0 ahead near the end of the Africa Cup of Nations Group D match against Tunisia in Rustenburg.
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"We can score more than one goal there. They had two big chances in the second half, but chances out of context because we were chasing the game and they were just defending.
"This is the Champions League and there are two matches, home and away. They did their match and they did it well."
United, unbeaten in the past 16 matches and 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League, will now hope to make home advantage count n the second leg.
"There were a lot of incidents in the game," Ferguson told Sky Sports.
"We had lots of chances in the match and played some good attacking football at times but we did not get the possession we should have had.
"Real won possession without question, but it takes us back to Old Trafford with a great chance.
"It will be very open. I think we'll score at Old Trafford. We have a big job on our hands but it is definitely within our grasp."
Deaths reported in Ukraine plane crash
In the night's other last-16 game, Borussia Dortmund had to twice come from behind to secure a 2-2 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk.
A minute's silence was held following reports that four people died when a plane made an emergency crash-landing in Ukraine according to the Russian news outlet, state-run RIA Novosti.
The Donetsk-bound charter flight was reported to be carrying football fans from Odessa to Donetsk for the contest.
Once the game did get under way, Shakhtar took the lead through Croatia captain Darijo Srna before Poland striker Robert Lewandowski brought the German visitors level.
Young Brazilian midfielder Douglas Costa restored the home side's lead only for Germany center-back Mats Hummels to level late on.
"It is important that we are going into the second leg level and a 0-0 would see us through," Hummels told reporters.
"Certainly there were a few dangerous moments in defense, but against such an attack-minded team you can never avoid this."
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Welbeck dances away in celebration after firing United ahead, while most of the crowd look on in stunned silence.
It had to happen, didn't it? That man Cristiano Ronaldo leveled for Real against his former club with an unstoppable 30th minute header after climbing high above Patrice Evra and Jonny Evans.
Ronaldo's muted celebration shows the respect he still holds for his former employers. The Portuguese star, who joined Real for a world record fee of $124 million back in 2009, was at the heart of everything positive about his team's performance.
United's Robin van Persie had two glorious opportunities to win the game for United in the second half, one which was turned onto the crossbar by Diego Lopez and another which was kicked off the line by Xabi Alonso.
Real manager Jose Mourinho was left frustrated after his side dominated for long periods but failed to find a winner. In the end, the home side was indebted to a couple of fine saves from Diego Lopez to keep the scoreline level.
David Beckham took part in his first training session with his new Paris Saint-Germain teammates less than 24 hours after watching them claim a 2-1 win at Valencia in the last-16 round of the Champions League. on Tuesday.
Beckham, 37, was put through is paces at the club's open training day where more than 100 journalists turned up to witness the event. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is hoping to make his debut against Sochaux on Sunday, but it's not known if his pop star wife Victoria will be in attendance. Beckham's family has remained in London where his children Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz attend school following their move from Los Angeles.
Beckham, who won 115 caps for England, has signed a five-month deal with the Qatari-backed club, but has revealed that his salary will be donated to a Paris children's charity. He will now hope to force his way into the side and link up with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lucas Moura and Ezequiel Lavezzi with the team six points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
Beckham waves to the waiting press pack as he makes his way out at the club's Camp des Loges training center in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris. The session, which was led by PSG's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, was shown live on French television.
Beckham shows off his new pink boots, a pair of which even Posh Spice might approve of. While Beckham is busy preparing for his debut, fashion designer Victoria was having her latest designs shown off by models in London.
After working up a sweat, Beckham throws off his top and gets back to work with the players who didn't feature in Tuesday's win at Valencia. If Beckham doesn't play against Sochaux on Sunday, he could line-up the following week against fierce rival Marseille and fellow Englishman Joey Barton.
Beckham takes to the sand as he steps up his training regime. Running on sand has several long-term benefits which includes strengthening the lower body muscles, burning more calories and is supposed to be easier on the joints as opposed to grass.
Beckham watched PSG's win at Valencia alongside the club's sporting director Leonardo. The pair looked on as their side edged out Valencia 2-1 in the first leg thanks to goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore, before Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off late on. The Swede will miss the second leg in the French capital on March 6.
Alessandro Matri gave Juventus the perfect start by firing the Italian side ahead after just three minutes. Matri's effort was adjudged to have crossed the line before Claudio Marchisio smashed the ball into the back of the net.
Juventus stun Celtic Park thanks to Matri's early strike and temporarily silence one of the most partisan crowds in European football. The goal came following a dreadful defensive error from Efe Ambrose, who helped Nigerian win the Africa Cup of Nations just last Sunday.
Celtic captain Scott Brown rages at Juventus playmaker Andrea Pirlo during the high octane clash. Pirlo, who played a starring role in Italy's run to the World Cup Final last year, was outstanding once again at the heart of the Juventus midfield.
Celtic striker Gary Hooper had scored 22 goals in 34 appearances before taking on Juventus Tuesday, but the in-form forward couldn't find a way past a deteremined Italian defense.
Claudio Marchisio celebrates after firing Juventus into a 2-0 lead with 13 minutes remaining. After enduring a barrage of Celtic pressure, Marchisio rounded off an incisive move to inflict further damage upon the home side.
Mirko Vucinic rubbed salt into Celtic wounds by firing home his side's third and final goal in the 83rd minute following another defensive mistake by Efe Ambrose. The tie is all but over going into the second leg in Turin on March 6.
David Beckham was in attendance to watch his new club Paris Saint-Germain take on Valencia in the last-16 of the European Champions League. Beckham recently signed a five-month deal to play in the French capital and hopes to make his debut in the next couple of weeks.
Ezequiel Lavezzi celebrates his early strike for Paris Saint-Germain with teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Argentine struck in the 10th minute and has now scored in each of his past three Champions League games.
Javier Pastore doubled PSG's lead with just two minutes of the first half remaining after a flowing move scythed through the Valencia defense. The talented Argentine playmaker was just one of a number of stars on show for the French club along with Ibrahimovic, Lucas Moura and Lavezzi.
Ibrahimovic was shown a straight red card following a controversial studs-up challenge on Andres Guardado. It was the Swede's third red of his Champions League career, only Edgar Davids, four, has more. It means that the striker will miss the second leg in Paris.
Valencia's Adil Rami pulled a goal back in the final minute to give his side a lifeline going into the second leg in France. The La Liga side had won all eight of its Champions League home against French opposition before Tuesday's defeat.
Manchester United, who were the 1956 and 1957 league champions, became the first English side to take part in the European Cup, reaching the semifinals before being beaten by Real Madrid. Tragically, six of the United players who faced Madrid were killed in Munich the following year.
Duncan Edwards, one of the greatest players of his generation, lost his life in the Munich Air Disaster in 1958 at the age of 21. He was the youngest player to represent England after the war and won two league titles with the club before his life was so tragically cut short.
Roger Byrne captained Manchester United under manager Matt Busby but he too lost his life in the Munich Air Disaster of 1958. An inspirational and charismatic figure, he was Busby's leader on the pitch until his death. Just days after he passed away, his widow Joy discovered she was pregnant.
After survivng the Munich Air Crash at the age of 20, Bobby Charlton went on to become both a local and national hero for club and country. He scored 249 goals in 758 appearances for Manchester United during a 17-year playing career. He won three league titles, the 1963 FA Cup and 1968 European Cup. He was also a key member of the England side which won the World Cup on home soil in 1966 and he remains the country's top scorer to this very day with 49 international goals.
David Pegg had caused Real all sorts of problems in the first leg of the semifinal leading the Spaniards to fetch in Valencia's tough-tackling defender Manuel Torres on-loan for one game only. Pegg made his debut at the age of 17 after joining straight from school and had been tipped to shine on the international stage until his untimely death in Munich at the age of 22.
This giant mural outside Old Trafford next to the statue of Busby depicts the United team lining up at their European Cup game with Red Star Belgrade before the disaster at Munich airport on February 6, 1958. Their legacy will never be forgotten.
Real Madrid dominated European football during the 1950s by winning the competition five times in succession between 1955 and 1960. Hungarian star Ferenc Puskas joined the club in 1958 to link up with Di Stefano, Kopa, Gento and Rial to form one of the most exciting teams ever seen.
Sunday Mba (center) celebrates with his Nigeria teammates after scoring the only goal of the final against Burkina Faso.
Nigeria's fans cheered their team's third continental crown, but first since 1994.
Nigeria's head coach Stephen Keshi, left, had been captain of that 1994 team, though he did not play in the final. He is only the second man to win the tournament as player and coach, along with Egypt's Mahmoud Al Gohari.
Nigeria had last reached the African final in 2000, but lost on home soil in Lagos against Cameroon.
Burkina Faso's "Stallions" went into their first AFCON final boosted by the overturning of a suspension for key player Jonathan Pitroipa, but he was unable to help them cause a big upset.
South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup in 2010, and was able to use some of those facilities for the 2013 AFCON.
Children run with advertising banners highlighting the fight against malaria during a ceremony held ahead of the final.
Mbemba was recently with the Congolese squad at the Africa Cup of Nations. He is pictured here, standing behind the team's French coach Claude Leroy, in a training session. Mbemba was not used by Leroy in the tournament.
The Democratic Republic of Congo went out of the competition at the group stage after drawing all three of their games.
Mbemba was born in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, as was another of the city's most famous sons French midfielder Claude Makelele, who played for Nantes, Marseille, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain.
Africa's second biggest country, the Democratic Republic of Congo has seen more than its fair share of violence and its citizens are some of the poorest in the world.
Mbemba was registered by his first Congolese club - E.S. La Grace -- as having been born on August 8, 1988, according to one of the documents obtained by CNN. The documents -- showing Mbemba's various ages -- were provided by the Brazilian agent Paulo Teixeira, who was called in by E.S. La Grace to obtain money they claimed was owed to them by Anderlecht for training the player in his formative years. In attempting verification of these documents -- from FIFA, the various federations and clubs involved -- only the world governing body and the Belgian Football Assocation responded directly to CNN's request by saying they appeared to be authentic.
In another document obtained by CNN, Mbemba was registered by his second Congolese club -- Mputu -- as also having been born on August 8,1988.
When Mbemba obtained a Belgian citizenship document in July 2011, a month after he arrived in Europe, his date of birth is now dated August 8, 1994.
In April 2012, Anderlecht confirmed in a letter to FIFA that Mbemba had been sent back to Kinshasa, but later that year he returned to the Brussels club. The Belgian FA confirmed that this document is geniune.
In April 2012, Mbemba was sent back to the Congo, but by August 2012 he was back at Anderlecht when he was given a three-year professional contract. Anderlecht's general manager Herman van Holsbeeck is pictured here sitting in the club's stadium watching a first-team training session.
The Congolese players of Frenchman Leroy, who is pictured here, went on a two-day strike just before the start of the Africa Nations Cup following a row with the country's football federation over bonus payments.
Leroy's side came back from 2-0 down to deny Ghana victory in their first game of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Anderlecht have a number of Congolese players in their squad and the Brussels club's forward Dieumerci Mbokani was recently elected Belgium's player of the year.
The Democractic Republic of Congo's progress at the Africa Cup of Nations was avidly followed back in Kinshasa.
Former Chelsea star Drogba had been dropped from the starting line-up for the first time in his international career, having been taken off during his country's opening match after failing to impress.
Manchester City star Toure, the two-time African player of the year, netted his second goal of the tournament in the 88th minute.
Another substitute, Didier Ya Konan (No. 13) sealed the Ivorians' second successive win with the third goal at Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
Striker Gervinho, who plays for English club Arsenal, scored the opening goal in the 21st minute. He also netted a late winner in the opening match against Togo.
Emmanuel Adebayor helped Togo bounce back from that 2-1 defeat as the Sparrowhawks' captain scored in a 2-0 win against Algeria which put the Ivorians into the quarterfinals and eliminated the north Africans with one match still to play.
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