United Ask Uefa to Investigate After Ronaldo is Dazzled By Laser

Manchester United have asked Uefa to investigate after Cristiano Ronaldo was dazzled by a laser beam before their 1-1 Champions League draw with Lyon last night.

The incident took place during the warm-up and Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that United informed Uefa before kick-off. "We reported the matter to Uefa before the game," said Ferguson. "We noticed it in the warm-up and they are aware of it." Uefa was unavailable for comment this morning.

United had to come from behind to secure last night's draw, substitute Carlos Tevez equalizing with three minutes remaining after Karim Benzema had given Lyon the lead after 54 minutes. The English club are now favorites to reach the quarter-finals after the return leg at Old Trafford on March 4, and Ferguson was pleased with his team's response after falling behind.

"It was a setback to go behind," he said. "It was a fantastic goal and it made life difficult for us. However, with our attacking options we had on the bench and being 1-0 down, we were always going to make changes. This has given us a good opportunity to qualify. I don't think Lyon had that many clear chances. Our goalkeeper has not had a save to make and I didn't feel that threatened."

Striker Wayne Rooney added: "It is always crucial to get an away goal and 1-1 is a lot better than 1-0. It was a crucial goal to take back to Old Trafford. I felt we controlled the game for most of it. They had a few chances and stuck the ball in. Lyon are a good team and we know we have to concentrate 100%."

The Lyon coach Alain Perrin could not hide his disappointment at the result. "I felt that 1-0 was a good score but 1-1 is a different story," he said. "It was a shame to concede a goal in the dying moments of the game but we showed what we are capable of and caused United problems. But the way things stand at the moment we are out of the competition. It was a strange goal we conceded and we have let ourselves down."