Loading...Guangzhou 0 - 3 Manchester United, Nani score in his 2nd match for Man Utd
Manchester United's pre-season tour of Asia ended with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Guangzhou Pharmaceutical in the Guangdong Olympic Stadium.
Strikes from Wayne Rooney, Nani and Lee Martin got the crowd on their feet in a match that sadly lacked the kind of sparkle the Reds provided elsewhere in the Far East.
Dong Fangzhuo fulfilled his dream of playing for United in his home country and was cheered throughout the match. But it was a frustrating run-out for the China international, who so desperately wanted to find the back of the net.
Elsewhere, injuries to Ryan Giggs, Edwin van der Sar, Owen Hargreaves and Cristiano Ronaldo meant Sir Alex was able to hand Lee Martin and Tomasz Kuszczak their first pre-season starts, while youngsters Phil Bardsley, Danny Simpson and Darron Gibson also gained berths from the opening whistle.
The game's first chance fell to Dong, when Lee Martin's low ball flashed across the goalmouth. Dong was unable to make a connection on that opportunity but did go closer on 15 minutes when he headed wide of the Guangzhou goal.
The home team showed little ambition going forward, content instead to try and soak up the pressure. It's always a risky tactic and the Reds made Guangzhou pay on 20 minutes when Michael Carrick was chopped down inside the penalty area.
Guangzhuo weren't happy with the referee's decision to award a penalty – he'd initially signalled for a free-kick just outside the box – but Wayne Rooney ignored the protests to blast home from 12 yards.
The Reds scored three in 15 minutes against FC Seoul and three in 11 minutes in Macau, but there was no goal rush this time. United struggled to penetrate Guangzhou's defensive line, although the home side's negative tactics didn't help matters.
The first real chance from open play arrived in the 41st minute when a Michael Carrick cross was touched onto the woodwork by a Guangzhou defender. It was a timely intervention since Wayne Rooney was lurking at the back post and would surely have buried the chance. As it was, the ball bounced back into play and Rooney was penalised for a foul in the ensuing scramble.
It was left to Nani to brighten what had been a sloppy first period. The Portugal international, who scored on his debut against Shenzhen FC, added to his goal tally with a glorious chip from the left side of the penalty area, which drifted over Guangzhou goalkeeper Shuai and in off the far post. It was the kind of sublime piece of skill and ingenuity United fans will hope to see more of during Nani's Old Trafford career.
Sir Alex made two changes at the start of the second half, with Darron Gibson making way for John O'Shea and Tom Heaton coming on for Kuszczak… eventually. The referee actually blew his whistle to get the second period underway without realising the Reds had nobody in goal. The game was quickly stopped, however, to allow Heaton time to take up his position between the sticks.
The error drew ironic cheers from the crowd, which soon turned to celebrations as Lee Martin fired United further into the lead with a brilliant swerving strike from 30 yards. Had it not been for Nani's spectacular first-half effort, Martin's goal would surely have grabbed all the headlines.
The game opened up somewhat as both teams made a string of substitutions. Alan Smith, Chris Eagles, Patrice Evra, Mikael Silvestre and Wes Brown all saw action, but it was the 76th-minute introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo that drew most attention.
Despite playing for only a quarter of an hour, Ronaldo still managed to pull out a number of flicks and tricks in what was a thrilling display of exhibition football. It was a lively end to a sub-standard match, although, on the whole, Sir Alex will be delighted with United's pre-season form.
Line-ups
United: Kuszczak (Heaton 46); Bardsley, Vidic (Silvestre 58), Ferdinand (Brown 58), Simpson; Martin (Evra 58), Carrick, Gibson (O'Shea 46), Nani (Eagles 58); Rooney (Ronaldo 76), Dong (Smith 62)
Unused subs: Evans, Fletcher
Guangzhou: Shuai; Zhihai (Xichang 74), Dechao (Suozhi 83), Yan, Wenpeng (Zhixing 56), Z Lin (Xianrong 69); Pengfeng (Yong 56), Zhijie (Zhiyi 69), Oliveira, L Lin (Deen 56); Batista (Junyan 56)
Unused subs: Xinhua, Ming, Alfredo, Wilberto, Xiaoming, Dazhong, Liang, Yuntao, Wenyao, Yaohui
