GLORY GLORY MAN UTD
ROONEY ROONEY ROONEY!!
Rooney Double Ends Tour On A High
Pre-Season Friendly
Urawa Red Diamonds 0
Manchester United 2
Saitama Stadium
Manchester United ended their pre-season tour of Asia with a solid win in Saitama, but the last word of the trip was left to Wayne Rooney, who scored twice.
The 19-year-old striker put United ahead with his first goal of the summer after 51 minutes, a cool finish into the bottom corner. His second was a snapshot of his undoubted genius.
Skipping past two defenders, Rooney worked an opening for himself slightly right of centre in the penalty area. Where most forwards would have picked a spot either side of the advancing goalkeeper, Rooney executed a perfect lob into the far corner - a strike reminiscent of Eric Cantona's chipped goal against Sunderland at Old Trafford in 1996.
Rooney was everywhere. Whether it was receiving the ball deep in midfield, finding space on flanks or lurking menacingly on the edge of the box, few blades of grass went untouched.
United were without Ruud van Nistelrooy, who missed the match with a stomach upset, and so the goalscoring responsibility fell at the competent feet of Rooney. One of the best chances of the first half came from the teenager, whose 30-yard shot zipped past the left post.
United, wearing the new blue away strip for the first time, controlled possession throughout the opening 45 minutes. But, despite a three-pronged attack of Giuseppe Rossi, who again impressed, Louis Saha and Rooney, they couldn't break down Urawa Reds.
That changed in the second half with the introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo, who opened the game up. The 20 year-old is able to rapidly shift the team's stance from defence to attack - with tricks added for sheer enjoyment along the way.
"I feel brilliant. I've got a solid pre-season behind me, that's something I haven't had for two years now."
Wayne Rooney
As against Kashima Antlers and Beijing Hyundai, Ronaldo buzzed off the crowd wowing at his every flick, turn, stepover or dummy.
But if Ronaldo had fans off their seats, Rooney left them in awe with a twelve-minute intervention that decided the match. First came a display of his power and opportunism to get the game's opening goal. Then sheer brilliance for his second.
Six minutes after the restart, Paul Scholes found the smallest of gaps in the home side's defence and threaded a pass through to Rooney. The striker muscled his way into possession and calmly put United in front.
On the hour mark, however, Rooney did for 48,000 fans in the Saitama Stadium what he has done on numourous occasions, most notably against Fenerbahce, Middlesbrough and Newcastle, since joining United. His performances and goals are exactly the reason the phrase 'worth the entrance fee alone' was coined.
Rooney's Cantona-esque finish wasn't quite followed with the nonchalant celebration Eric used after his lobbed goal against Palace nine years ago. Instead, the Liverpool-born forward walked calmly back to the centre circle.
The wider implication for Rooney's - and Ronaldo's - performances on this tour is the potential that, with rest and a full pre-season under their belts, they will be even more influential this season.
Just as the pair's stock has risen in the Far East with enthralling displays of their prodigal talent, their importance to United reclaiming the Premiership and Champions League increases with every moment of skill, intelligent pass or jaw-dropping goal.
Report by Ben Hibbs.