Manchester United 1-0 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito
Despite playing with ten men for almost the entire second half, Manchester United ousted Liga Deportiva Universitaria 1-0 for the FIFA Club World Cup, courtesy of a second half strike from Man-of-the-match Wayne Rooney...
Manchester United claimed the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time, after edging Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito 1-0 in an entertaining final that could have gone either way.
United's eventual match winner came in the 73rd minute, courtesy of a strike from Wayne Rooney.
The European champions came into the match as the overwhelming favourites, and they started strongly, piling heavy pressure on the Liga de Quito goal.
But it was the Ecuadorians who came closest to opening the scoring, when defender Jairo Campos shot incredibly wide at an open goal in the fourth minute.
United didn't allow that to affect them, and from that instance they seemed to be the only side on the field, as they completely dominated Liga de Quito, with good work from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, who were United's two liveliest players.
Sir Alex Ferguson's team's first clear-cut opportunity fell to Rooney, but his powerful attempt at goal was blocked by Liga goalkeeper Jose Cevallos.
United continued to dominate, and in the 19th minute great work from Ronaldo down the left wing opened up an opportunity for Carlos Tevez, but the Argentine saw his header saved by Cevallos.
The Red Devils were completely on top at this stage, with their ball possession reading 68% compared to only 32% for Liga. United pushed forward in numbers as they looked to make the most of their territorial advantage, as Rooney saw another goal-bound effort go begging.
In the final ten minutes of the half Liga, the Copa Libertadores champions, sneaked more into the match, greatly due to the influence of Argentine midfielder Damian Manso, who was by far their best player.
But United continued to be the better side, and in the 34th minute a brilliant combination involving Rooney and Tevez almost culminated in Ji Sung Park finding the back of the net, but the South Korean international had his effort saved.
In the final moments of the half, Park was presented with another glorious opportunity to put United ahead, but somehow he shot wide at an open goal.
Four minutes into the second half United were reduced to ten men, when Nemanja Vidic was given his marching orders for elbowing Liga striker Claudio Bieler.
Ferguson sacrificed Tevez, bringing on Jonathan Evans as his replacement.
After the sending off Liga de Quito began to play to their true potential, and the Ecuadorians tried to surprise United down the wings, with the brilliant work of Manso and the speed of Luis Bolanos.
But United still looked dangerous each time they moved forward, and they almost went ahead when a Cristiano Ronaldo effort from the edge of the area was saved by Cevallos.
In the 62nd minute Manso, who was in inspired form, almost beat Edwin Van der Sar with a long-range thunderbolt that almost crept into the angle of the goal. Liga were looking extremely threatening at this point.
However, United broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute when Cristiano Ronaldo fed Rooney, and the striker made no mistake with a well-placed shot that got the better of Cevallos.
The goal gave United some breathing space, but they were in for a complicated final twenty minutes, as the Ecuadorians piled heavy pressure on their goal, as they looked for an equalizer.
In the 89th minute Manso almost drew Liga level, but his sensational long-range effort was tipped over the bar by a full stretch Van der Sar.
Manchester United held on, and claimed the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time. The Red Devils proved superior to their opponents for great part of the encounter and were well worth their title triumph.
Team Line-ups
Manchester United 1: Edwin Van der Sar, Rafael (Gary Neville 85'), Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Anderson (Darren Fletcher 88'), Ji Sung Park, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez (Jonathan Evans 51') and Wayne Rooney. Coach: Alex Ferguson
Liga de Quito 0: Jose Cevallos, Jairo Campos, Norberto Araujo, Diego Calderon, Neicer Reasco (Pedro Larrea 82'), Renan Calle (Paul Ambrosi 77'), Patricio Urrutia, William Araujo, Damian Manso, Luis Bolanos (Reinaldo Navia 87') and Claudio Bieler. Coach: Edgardo Bauza
Goal: Wayne Rooney (73')
2 comments:
For me Arsenal remain to be my favorite, but what a pity, arsenal never be a winner..
Hi Kaka, how are you doing lately?
Have a happy new year. :)
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