United’s title hopes crash

United’s title hopes crash

A second-half cameo from striker Gaston Sangoy sealed United’s fate as he scored the penalty and set up the winner in a 2-1 victory.And the honour and glory of beating Manchester United was evident after the match as the Boca players sang and danced in their dressing room long after the Red Devils had showered and left.For the young United stars it was a hard game at the end of a tough day on which their former team-mate Jimmy Davis was killed in a car crash while on loan at Watford.The lads were visibly deflated during the warm-up and minute’s silence but they quickly had to focus their minds as Boca adopted a physical approach.There were two red cards and seven yellows issued by referee Lee Mason but when he stopped trying to be the centre of attention some mesmerising football was being played.Sangoy, who went on to win the JEP Player of the Tournament award, showed his class as early as the fourth minute when he took a 40-yard cross-field ball down beautifully on his chest but fired a snapshot over.The United defence were all at sea minutes later when a bending free kick from the right saw three Boca players unmarked at the near post but Luke Steele gathered a weak header.Boca were reduced to ten men in the ninth minute when Mikael Yourassowsky was shown a straight red for a rough challenge on United’s Neil Wood.Two more yellows for Boca followed in quick succession before Pablo Gonzalez put Sangoy in with a deft chip over the United defence but Sangoy fired over again.The 1,200 spectators were reminded of a certain Paul Gascoigne against Scotland in 1996 when Eddie Johnson fired United in front after 36 minutes.Johnson picked up a bouncing ball on the right edge of the Boca penalty box, flicked the ball over a defender and slotted calmly across and under the ‘keeper.For 15 minutes after half time Boca were simply awesome.

They stepped up a gear and dominated United who were forced to defend stoutly until the equaliser came on 53 minutes.Boca were awarded a dubious penalty when Juan Lopez fell in the box and Sangoy stepped up and leathered the ball into the top left corner.Inevitably, Boca’s winner came via Sangoy who whipped in a teasing cross from a short corner which Steele fumbled and Juan Lopez tapped in from two yards.United’s Danny Byrne was dismissed in the closing stages for a tired and reckless challenge that earned him a second yellow.The whole occasion had obviously got to the United camp and boss Brian McClair was too upset to comment after the match.Boca Juniors coach Jorge Clemente said: ‘We are very happy.

We played very well.

If we had played with 11 men we would have won more.’Manchester United: Luke Steele, Phil Bardsley (Lee Sims 46), Adam Eckersley, Steven Hogg (Ramon Calliste 65), Paul Tierney, David Jones (Jamie Day 78), Danny Byrne, Neil Wood, Chris Eagles (David Poole 65), Eddie Johnson, Mads Timm (Calum Flanagan 80).Cautioned: Wood, Bardsley, Johnson, ByrneSent off: Byrne.Boca Juniors: Omar Hassan, Ezequiel Vicente, Mikael Yourassowsky, Pablo Alvarez, Armando Monteugroe, David Reano, Juan Lopez (Edilto Cardoso de Oliveira 63), Sebastian Ginobili (Juan Castro 88), Gaston Sangoy (Alvaro Delgado 86), Pablo Gonzalez (Victor Galarza 46), Leandro Becerra.Cautioned: Sangoy, Yourassowsky, Ginobili.Sent off: Monteugroe.Officials: Lee Mason, Clive Penton, Dave Goldsmith.

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