July 2001 Sport News Headlines

SINGAPORE - Manchester United fashioned a routine 8-1 victory over Team Singapore in a friendly romp here Tuesday.

Playing in Singapore a week after Liverpool ground out a dour 2-0 win, United rewarded the fanatical football supporters with a high scoring exhibition.

They also played up to the overwhelmingly Red Devils supporting crowd, with French international goalkeeper Fabien Barthez coming on in the final 10 minutes as a striker, although he was denied by officials the right to play in David Beckham's number seven jersey.

The Singapore goalmouth lived a charmed life until the 30th minute when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally found a way past goalkeeper Rezal Hassan, heading in from a David Beckham free kick.

But in a match which was little more than a training run for the English champions, Singapore enjoyed their moment of glory.

Indra Sahdan brought the home crowd to their feet when he equalised in the 38th minute, slamming home a sharply angled right cross past Raimond van der Gouw who opened in goal for Manchester United.

But Singapore's glory was short-lived.

Scarcely had an ecstatic Sahdan finished his victory sprint and put his shirt back on than Philip Neville had put United 2-1 ahead.

Right on half-time Solskjaer found favour with a linesman when a shot blocked by Hassan was ruled to have crossed the line.

Beckham, seemingly with a licence to roam free on the night, rewarded his legion of fans among the 40 000 plus crowd, when he bent the ball over the wall from a free kick in the 50th minute, shortly before he was substituted.

As Manchester United rang the changes in the equatorial heat, Dwight Yorke who replaced Solskjaer at half-time was next on the scoreboard, gliding past the Singapore defence twice in quick succession to score in the 65th and 69th minutesNew Dutch signing Ruud van Nistelrooy had a night he would rather forget.

The summer acquisition from PSV Eindhoven had five opportunities in the first half and was found wanting five times.

He finally got his name on the scoresheet in the 70th minute.

Ryan Giggs closed the scoring with the Old Trafford team's 8th goal in the 87th minute. - Nampa-Sapa-AFP

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