|
|
Played
July 31, 2011 12:00 AM BST
July 31, 2011 12:00 AM BST
Barcelona 1-2 Manchester United: Nani & Owen exact revenge for Champions League final defeat
The Washington DC rematch of last season's Champions League final ended with the Red Devils earning a 2-1 win over the team that had beaten them in May to lift the European crown
By Allen Ramsey
Rob Carr
Manchester United exacted at least a measure of revenge against Barcelona for their loss to the Spanish club in the 2011 Champions League final with a 2-1 friendly win in Washington DC.
The game set an attendance record for a football match in the DC area, drawing 81,807 people to see two of the top clubs in the world lock horns.
As would be expected, even in a friendly with little on the line Barcelona dominated possession for long spells, but Nani took advantage of the Spanish side's high defensive line and gave United a 1-0 lead 22 minutes into the match.
Danny Welbeck set the table with a fantastic break from the back, the Portuguese winger holding his run just long enough to beat the offside trap; from there his pace left him alone with Victor Valdes, and Nani gave the goalkeeper little chance of coming up with a save.
Barcelona continued to dominate a large portion of the match but the chances were limited by United's defence that tucked in and looked comfortable dealing with the European champions' constant pressure.
Nani tried to repay the favour to Welbeck 65 minutes in when he slipped a pass through to put the forward in on goal. Valdes made the save this time, and as the rebound fell to Nani he could only slash at a left-footed effort and put it up over the bar.
The miss would come back to haunt United seven minutes later as Thiago smashed home a brilliant equaliser from 25 yards that swerved away from David de Gea and into the upper corner of the goal.
But an uncharacteristic mistake from Pep Guardiola's side in midfield put United back in front in the 66th minute. Tom Cleverly stepped in to intercept a pass and the break was on, with the midfielder playing Michael Owen in on goal with only Valdes to beat. Owen made no mistake and United were back in the lead.
Thiago and Barcelona continued to push the pace, but the midfielder's shot from long range in the 89th minute couldn't replicate the brilliance of his earlier effort. And despite numerous pushes into United's end of the pitch the Catalans couldn't find a second equaliser.
Owen had a chance to put the match on ice in the first minute of stoppage time after Gabriel Obertan set him up with a great cross, but the striker scuffed the shot up over the goal.
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
As would be expected, even in a friendly with little on the line Barcelona dominated possession for long spells, but Nani took advantage of the Spanish side's high defensive line and gave United a 1-0 lead 22 minutes into the match.
Danny Welbeck set the table with a fantastic break from the back, the Portuguese winger holding his run just long enough to beat the offside trap; from there his pace left him alone with Victor Valdes, and Nani gave the goalkeeper little chance of coming up with a save.
Barcelona continued to dominate a large portion of the match but the chances were limited by United's defence that tucked in and looked comfortable dealing with the European champions' constant pressure.
Nani tried to repay the favour to Welbeck 65 minutes in when he slipped a pass through to put the forward in on goal. Valdes made the save this time, and as the rebound fell to Nani he could only slash at a left-footed effort and put it up over the bar.
The miss would come back to haunt United seven minutes later as Thiago smashed home a brilliant equaliser from 25 yards that swerved away from David de Gea and into the upper corner of the goal.
But an uncharacteristic mistake from Pep Guardiola's side in midfield put United back in front in the 66th minute. Tom Cleverly stepped in to intercept a pass and the break was on, with the midfielder playing Michael Owen in on goal with only Valdes to beat. Owen made no mistake and United were back in the lead.
Thiago and Barcelona continued to push the pace, but the midfielder's shot from long range in the 89th minute couldn't replicate the brilliance of his earlier effort. And despite numerous pushes into United's end of the pitch the Catalans couldn't find a second equaliser.
Owen had a chance to put the match on ice in the first minute of stoppage time after Gabriel Obertan set him up with a great cross, but the striker scuffed the shot up over the goal.
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
Goal
Own Goal
Penalty
Penalty Missed
Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
Injury
Goal.com Rating
Goal.com Man of the Match
Goal.com Flop of the Match
Top & Flop Global Ranking
Fans' Man of the Match
Fans' Flop of the Match
Results
Times In BST
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker Real Madrid |
5 | 1 |
|
Karim Benzema
Striker Real Madrid |
5 | 0 |
|
Heiðar Helguson
Striker QPR |
5 | 0 |
|
Jason Roberts
Striker Blackburn |
4 | 1 |
|
Wayne Rooney
Striker Manchester United |
4 | 0 |
