Ibrahimovic fires Man Utd to Community Shield win
Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney (4R)
holds up the Community Shield during the trophy
presentation after Manchester United beat Leicester City to
win the FA Community Shield football match at Wembley
Stadium in London on August 7, 2016.
GLYN KIRK / AFP
Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his arrival in English
football with an 83rd-minute winner as Manchester
United edged Leicester City 2-1 at Wembley on
Sunday to win the Community Shield.
The former Paris Saint-Germain striker had had a
quiet game, but he outjumped Wes Morgan to head
home Antonio Valencia’s cross to earn Jose
Mourinho his first piece of silverware as United
manager.
Leicester talisman Jamie Vardy had earlier punished
an error by Marouane Fellaini to cancel out FA Cup
match-winner Jesse Lingard’s first-half solo goal for
United, who claimed a record-extending 21st
Community Shield.
United, who have confirmed they are close to re-
signing former player Paul Pogba from Juventus,
open their Premier League campaign at
Bournemouth next Sunday.
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri handed official
debuts to close-season signings Ahmed Musa, Luis
Hernandez and Nampalys Mendy.
While his side came up short, he will have been
encouraged by the brightness of their display, three
months on from their 5,000-1 Premier League
triumph.
They launch their league title defence at Hull City
on Saturday.
Mourinho deployed his new-look strike partnership
of Wayne Rooney and Ibrahimovic and both players
made their presence felt in Leicester’s penalty area
early on.
Rooney headed straight at Kasper Schmeichel from
Luke Shaw’s cross and the Leicester goalkeeper was
also obliged to field a hooked Fellaini shot after
Ibrahimovic had leapt to win a high ball.
Leicester attacked the game with the intensity that
characterised last season’s title triumph and
procured several chances of their own.
Vardy drew last-ditch tackles from Daley Blind and
impressive United new boy Eric Bailly with
trademark darting runs, while Shinji Okazaki
glanced a header against the bar from a Marc
Albrighton corner.
– Mata flashpoint –
With Ibrahimovic and Rooney both dropping deep,
United lacked an attacking focal point, but in the
32nd minute Lingard took matters into his own
hands.
After eluding the sliding Andy King, he drove
towards goal, slipped the ball beneath Leicester
captain Morgan’s sprawling challenge and
confidently tucked a shot past Schmeichel.
It came at the same end as Lingard’s spectacular
extra-time winner against Crystal Palace in May’s
FA Cup final.
Within minutes, United’s celebrating fans were
singing: “Pogba’s coming home!”
Ranieri introduced Ahmed Musa and Demarai Gray
at half-time and the former played a big role in
Leicester’s 52nd-minute equaliser with an
enterprising run from deep.
But the goal owed almost everything to a mistake by
Fellaini, whose under-hit back-pass enabled Vardy
to nip in, round David de Gea, and score.
Following a glut of changes by both sides, Musa
squandered a chance to give Leicester victory when
he headed Robert Huth’s flick-on over the bar from
point-blank range.
soaring above Morgan to meet Valencia’s cross with
a downward header that hit the left-hand post and
bounced into the goal.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan made his official United debut
as a stoppage-time substitute.
It was Mata who made way, having only entered
the fray in the 63rd minute, and the Spaniard,
frozen out by Mourinho during their time at
Chelsea, exchanged angry words with the United
manager as he came off.
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