2009 Audi Cup: Anderson & Valencia Score In Manchester United's Win Over Boca Juniors
July 29th 2009 20:51
After a perfect run in Asia, Manchester United returned to Europe to continue their preparation for the coming season. Their next stop is Germany where they're currently taking part of the Audi Cup in Munich.
It was a day of firsts for Sir Alex Ferguson's men as two players got to shine in their 2-1 victory over Boca Juniors in the opening day of the Audi Cup. First, Anderson scored his first United goal on a superb free-kick at the 22nd minute. The Brazilian's curling shot left goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri rooted in place as the ball flew to his far post's top-corner. Despite having scored in shootouts, Anderson never had an official goal since his arrival at Old Trafford. That free-kick was a great way to finally break the ice.
United extended their lead a couple of minutes before half-time when newcomer Antonio Valencia, in his first game in the red shirt, fired a shot that bounced under Abbondanzieri's body to finish in the back of the net. The goal wasn't Valencia's only bright spots during the game. Indeed, the Ecuadorian showed an uncanny knack to find Wayne Rooney with low crosses that magically found their way through opponents' legs. Unfortunately, Rooney was unable to capitalize on these opportunities and had a relatively quiet game. His partner that day, Macheda, didn't fare any better as he had a difficult game, struggling mightily with his first-touch and passing abilities.
Down at the other end, the Red Devils conceded a goal early in the second half. Since the game was pretty balanced, the goal didn't come as a shock. However, it stunned me to see that United still haven't learned their lesson when it comes to crosses from their left flank towards the far post. Often last season, United would get caught in this situation when an unmarked midfielder from the opposing would come in late and deliver either a devastating header or a merciless volley. Boca Juniors' Insua opted for the latter and surprised a static United backline who seemed to be ball-watching on the play. Cathcart almost gave the equalizer to the Argentines when his defensive header struck the crossbar in the 69th minute. Fortunately, Kuszczak was quick to react on the rebound and seized the ball to eliminate the threat. Speaking of which, United's third goalkeeper had a relatively good outing today. Although his clearances were awful, he came up big when Boca Juniors were repeatedly attacking his net in the second half.
As it stands, Manchester United are still undefeated in their pre-season run. Tomorrow, they'll face either Bayern Munich or AC Milan in the second day of the Audi Cup.
Manchester United's line-up: Tomasz Kuszczak; John O'Shea, Wes Brown (Rio Ferdinand, 36th), Craig Cathcart, Fabio (Patrice Evra, 76th); Antonio Valencia (Nani, 67th), Michael Carrick (Paul Scholes, 76th), Anderson (Darren Fletcher, 76th), Park Ji-Sung (Ryan Giggs, 67th); Wayne Rooney, Frederico Macheda Dimitar Berbatov, 67th).
It was a day of firsts for Sir Alex Ferguson's men as two players got to shine in their 2-1 victory over Boca Juniors in the opening day of the Audi Cup. First, Anderson scored his first United goal on a superb free-kick at the 22nd minute. The Brazilian's curling shot left goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri rooted in place as the ball flew to his far post's top-corner. Despite having scored in shootouts, Anderson never had an official goal since his arrival at Old Trafford. That free-kick was a great way to finally break the ice.
United extended their lead a couple of minutes before half-time when newcomer Antonio Valencia, in his first game in the red shirt, fired a shot that bounced under Abbondanzieri's body to finish in the back of the net. The goal wasn't Valencia's only bright spots during the game. Indeed, the Ecuadorian showed an uncanny knack to find Wayne Rooney with low crosses that magically found their way through opponents' legs. Unfortunately, Rooney was unable to capitalize on these opportunities and had a relatively quiet game. His partner that day, Macheda, didn't fare any better as he had a difficult game, struggling mightily with his first-touch and passing abilities.
Down at the other end, the Red Devils conceded a goal early in the second half. Since the game was pretty balanced, the goal didn't come as a shock. However, it stunned me to see that United still haven't learned their lesson when it comes to crosses from their left flank towards the far post. Often last season, United would get caught in this situation when an unmarked midfielder from the opposing would come in late and deliver either a devastating header or a merciless volley. Boca Juniors' Insua opted for the latter and surprised a static United backline who seemed to be ball-watching on the play. Cathcart almost gave the equalizer to the Argentines when his defensive header struck the crossbar in the 69th minute. Fortunately, Kuszczak was quick to react on the rebound and seized the ball to eliminate the threat. Speaking of which, United's third goalkeeper had a relatively good outing today. Although his clearances were awful, he came up big when Boca Juniors were repeatedly attacking his net in the second half.
As it stands, Manchester United are still undefeated in their pre-season run. Tomorrow, they'll face either Bayern Munich or AC Milan in the second day of the Audi Cup.
Manchester United's line-up: Tomasz Kuszczak; John O'Shea, Wes Brown (Rio Ferdinand, 36th), Craig Cathcart, Fabio (Patrice Evra, 76th); Antonio Valencia (Nani, 67th), Michael Carrick (Paul Scholes, 76th), Anderson (Darren Fletcher, 76th), Park Ji-Sung (Ryan Giggs, 67th); Wayne Rooney, Frederico Macheda Dimitar Berbatov, 67th).
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