Amazulu F.C. 0-1 Man United: Match Review

Manchester United opened their 2012 pre-season tour with a win against Amazulu F.C. thanks to a first half strike from Federico Macheda.

A youthful looking United rode their luck at times in this match in Durban, with goalkeeper Lindegaard being called into action on several occasions.

It was United who started the brightest however and they should have been one nil up after 2 minutes. However, Chicharito scuffed his shot wide after a Macheda shot rebounded off the Amazulu keeper.

Berbatov could have then scored the goal of the decade after Brady floated a corner to the edge of the box. The Bulgarian then caught the ball on the volley as sweet as you like, however his Scholes-esque attempt was brilliantly tipped over by Kapini.

After dominating the opening period, the Reds did eventually take the lead through Kiko Macheda on 19 minutes after a classic United counter attack saw Dimitar Berbatov set the Italian clear on goal, who then coolly slotted the ball through the legs of Kapini.

Amazulu started to edge their way back into the game after a shaky start and it was Dlamini who had their first opening when he was put through one-on-one with Lindegaard. However, the Danish keeper made a smart save to thwart the number 11.

Just before half-time, Amazulu were lucky not have a man sent off after Jesse Lingard was tugged back by the last defender Nyadombo. The referee was kind on the centre-back due to the game being a friendly match and only produced a yellow card.

Another sweeping move from United nearly doubled their lead a minute later, however this time Macheda fired wide after another sublime Berbatov pass.

Then Lindegaard preserved United’s half-time lead with a terrific low save down to his right off a Dlamini snap-shot on 45 minutes.

The second half started the same way as the first with United on the front foot, however Berbatov was denied by two brilliant stops by Kapini again.

It was then Lindegaard’s turn to deny the South African outfit with two saves in a minute; one from a Dlamini shot on 56 minutes then a flying save to his right two minutes later after a Senamela header.

United rang the changes mid-way through the second half with Blackett, Tunnicliffe, Anderson and Petrucci coming on for Brady, Lingard, Macheda and Paul Scholes, who recieved a rapturous applause from the knowledgeable Durban crowd.

Then came the game’s controversial moment, as the Referee inexplicably pointed to the United penalty spot for a Blackett foul, however the linesman was quick to flag and the decision was overturned.

United’s best chance of the half came with eight minutes remaining after good work from Tunnicliffe on the right enabled him to pick out Hernandez, but his close-range shot was smartly saved by the substitute keeper Mzimela.

The biggest cheer of the night came when Shinji Kagawa came on as a substitute 2 minutes from time, but the Reds new signing had little time to make any impact as the game ended 1-0 to United.

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United: Lindegaard, Veseli (Vermijl), Wootton, Ferdinand, Brady (Blackett), Carrick, Scholes (Tunnicliffe), Lingard (Petrucci), Macheda (Anderson), Berbatov, Hernandez (Kagawa).

Goal: Macheda (19)

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Amazulu: Kapini (Mzimela), Mokor, Kasonga, Nyadombo, Van Heerden, A. Dlamini (Johnson), Zhuwaro (Kgatla), Senamela (Mayongo), Mbele, G. Dlamini, Vilakazi (Lacarta)

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Referee: Daniel Frazer-Bennett

Ground: Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa

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Remaining Tour Dates

South Africa – MTN Football Invitational

21st July 2012: Ajax Cape Town v Manchester United (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town)

China – Chevrolet China Cup

25th July 2012: Shanghai Shenhua v Manchester United (Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai)

Norway/Sweden/Germany – DHL Tour 2012

5th August 2012: Valerenga v Manchester United (Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo)

8th August 2012: Manchester United v Barcelona (Gothenburg)

11th August 2012: Hannover 96 v Manchester United in (AWD Arena, Hannover)