Manchester United hammered an Airtricity League of Ireland selection in Wednesday's friendly in Dublin. The encounter was the first football match to be played at the new £350m Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road.
Park Ji-Sung put United ahead on 13 minutes while Michael Owen stroked in the second goal before half-time. Sub Javier Hernandez, Antonio Valencia, Park and Jonny Evans added further goals and while Dave Mulcahy replied, Nani's penalty completed the scoring. Owen partnered Wayne Rooney up front at the start but both were withdrawn at half-time with Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov introduced. In addition to Owen and Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, Park, Michael Carrick and Valencia were also handed their first pre-season appearances.
New signing Chris Smalling was also involved against the Irishmen, who were lacking any involvement from the Shamrock Rovers players involved in Thursday's tussle with Juventus. The occasion was a chance for United's Irish faithful to see their heroes in action and the new 50,000-capacity stadium was only a few hundred short of being full. United bossed the game from the start as Rooney and Owen both went close early on but their opener had a dose of good fortune after a dreadful mistake by Airtricity League player Ryan Peers. The Sligo Rovers defender dallied on the ball in his own six-yard box and his attempted clearance was blocked directly into the roof of the net by Park.
Rooney should have doubled United's lead three minutes later but blasted over after keeper Rogers had saved a Darron Gibson drive. However, the second goal did come on 25 minutes with Owen producing a delightful lofted finish from 10 yards over a stranded Rogers after nipping in ahead of Ken Oman. By that stage, Michael Carrick had hobbled off for United in his first game since a World Cup campaign he watched exclusively from England's substitutes' bench. New arrival Hernandez hammered his first touch to the net with a close-range finish on 47 minutes after good work by Valencia.
The impressive Valencia added the fourth on 60 minutes and Park's second goal (63) and a Jonny Evans header (69) brought up United's half-dozen. Dave Mulcahy fired in the Airtricity League's reply on 78 minutes in a rare attack by the home selection but Nani completed the scoring on 82 from the spot after Hernandez had been fouled.
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