|
|
Played
July 30, 2011 7:00 PM EDT
July 30, 2011 7:00 PM EDT
Barcelona 1-2 Manchester United: Nani and Michael Owen exact revenge for Champions League final
The rematch of last year's Champions League final ended with United earning a 2-1 win over the team that beat it to the European title.
By Allen Ramsey
Rob Carr
Manchester United exacted at least a measure of revenge against Barcelona for its loss to the Spanish club in the 2011 Champions League final with a 2-1 friendly win in Washington D.C.
The match set an attendance record for a soccer match in the D.C. area, drawing 81,807 people to see two of the top clubs in the world do battle.
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 line and gave United a 1-0 lead 22 minutes into the match.
Danny Welbeck set the table with a fantastic break out of the back. The Portuguese winger held his run just long enough to beat the trap and from there his pace left him in alone on Victor Valdes, and Nani gave the keeper little chance of coming up with a save.
"It was good," Nani said of the win. "It’s always good to play against Barca. It’s always a good game and I think the team did well."
Barcelona continued to dominate a large portion of the match, but the chances were limited by United's defense, which tucked in and looked comfortable dealing with Barcelona's constant pressure.
Nani tried to repay the favor 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 goal.
The miss would come back to haunt United seven minutes later as Thiago smashed home a brilliant equalizer from 25-yards that swerved away from David De Gea and into the upper corner of the goal.
But an uncharacteristic mistake from Barcelona 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 was back in the lead.
Thiago and Barcelona continued to push the pace, but the midfielder's shot from 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 equalizer.
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 frame.
The match set an attendance record for a soccer match in the D.C. area, drawing 81,807 people to see two of the top clubs in the world do battle.
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 line and gave United a 1-0 lead 22 minutes into the match.
Danny Welbeck set the table with a fantastic break out of the back. The Portuguese winger held his run just long enough to beat the trap and from there his pace left him in alone on Victor Valdes, and Nani gave the keeper little chance of coming up with a save.
"It was good," Nani said of the win. "It’s always good to play against Barca. It’s always a good game and I think the team did well."
Barcelona continued to dominate a large portion of the match, but the chances were limited by United's defense, which tucked in and looked comfortable dealing with Barcelona's constant pressure.
Nani tried to repay the favor 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 goal.
The miss would come back to haunt United seven minutes later as Thiago smashed home a brilliant equalizer from 25-yards that swerved away from David De Gea and into the upper corner of the goal.
But an uncharacteristic mistake from Barcelona 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 was back in the lead.
Thiago and Barcelona continued to push the pace, but the midfielder's shot from 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 equalizer.
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 frame.
Follow ALLEN RAMSEY on 
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 EDT
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 Rovers |
4 | 1 |
|
Wayne Rooney
Striker Man United |
4 | 0 |