Man United suffers preseason defeat
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MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Newly acquired Honduran David Suazo scored twice in the first half and rallied Inter Milan to a 3-2 victory over Manchester United on Wednesday, handing the English champion its first loss of the preseason.
The match between the Italian and English champions before an Old Trafford crowd of 73,738 - a record for a friendly - left Red Devils manager Alex Ferguson anguished with just 10 days until its title defense begins.
"We needed that tempo to the match," Ferguson said. "The sharpness and professionalism of Inter Milan was very good."
The match was the first for Man United following a lucrative Asian tour and first test against major European opposition.
Ferguson appeared to treat the game as a serious test, using his starting 11 until the end, while Inter made eight changes through the second half.
A confident United led when Wayne Rooney converted Patrice Evra's cross in the 18th, beating Julio Cesar.
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Inter responded within three minutes when Suazo capitalized on Evra and Nemanja Vidic's failure to clear Luis Figo's cross.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the Italians in control in the 27th. With Evra on the ground, Luis Figo fed Stankovic, who squared to the Sweden striker.
Ibrahimovic and Figo combined in the 33rd to set up Suazo for his second of the night.
"The defending in the first half was very poor," Ferguson said. "You can't win games, no matter who you play, like that."
The Italians' damaged themselves in the 57th when Brazil striker Adriano headed into his own goal, knocking in a curling free kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite the match being a friendly, Ferguson made no substitutions as Man United fell in its first game at Old Trafford since receiving the Premier League trophy on the final day of the season in May.
Centerback Rio Ferdinand was disappointed in the 82nd that his close-range effort flew over the crossbar.
Ferguson was denied the chance to unveil the results of his summer spending spree.
High-profile acquisition Owen Hargreaves has yet to make his debut due to tendinitis in his knee, and Portugal midfielder Nani was ruled out with an ankle injury.
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Anderson is still recovering from his time with Brazil in the Copa America. Strikers Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and captain Gary Neville also were sidelined.
The Red Devils face Chelsea at Wembley in Sunday's Community Shield, the traditional match to mark the beginning of the English season.
Inter's season begins Aug. 19 - an Italian Super Cup encounter against Roma.
