Yokohama 3 Manchester United 2: Match Report

Life doesn’t get any easier for David Moyes out here in Asia. Not only is the new Manchester United manager struggling to close out a deal for Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas, his team have now lost two of their three games on pre-season tour. This game was always going to be tougher than Saturday’s stroll against the A-League All-Stars in Sydney and so it seemed as a team currently in the middle of their domestic season outlasted United in the heat and humidity of Japan to steal victory at the death.

Me again: Jesse Lingard (right) has been on fine form and scored United's equaliser

Having fallen behind after just 27 seconds, United did well to rally and reached half-time 2-1 up after an equaliser from the promising Jess Lingard and an own goal from Marinos defender Masakazu Tashiro. But the Japanese team equalised shortly after half-time and went on to seal a 3-2 win three minutes from time when substitute Yoshihito Fujita swept a loose ball past David de Gea from 12 yards after Jin Hanato had outwitted Patrice Evra and Phil Jones down the left side.

Moyes had said before the game that his team would face a reasonably exacting test, given that the Marinos are in the middle of their domestic season. He didn’t mention the heat and humidity that was always going to be a factor but he certainly would have been justified had he done so,Such conditions make for an excellent training environment, as they help to bring players’ fitness levels on at a rate of knots. On match day, however, it is a little different.

Nevertheless, none of that could be used as an excuse for the way United started the game and Moyes would have been a little unnerved to see his team fall behind after just 27 seconds. Young forward Jesse Lingard was the United player who gave the ball away in a central area but after that there were other culprits as goalkeeper David de Gea pushed Marquinhos powerful long shot back in to play rather than over the crossbar and then central defensive pairing Jonny Evans and Phil Jones dithered long enough to allow the same Marinos player to turn the loose ball in to the goal from ten yards.

With the Nissan Stadium – used for the 2002 World Cup Final and also the scene of United’s 2008 World Club Cup triumph – full to its 80,000 capacity, the opening to the game was received rapturously, though not with as much vigour as the appearance on the stadium big screen of local hero Shinji Kagawa. The Japanese international didn’t actually make it on to the field until the 60th minute but his face still flashed  up regularly on the big screen. They do get rather excited by their star players over here in Asia and it is hard not to be impressed by their sheer enthusiasm.

Heroes: Two supporters hold up pictures on Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie

Back to the game and United responded to their setback impressively. Playing a pretty orthodox 4-4-2 in the first half, attacking players like Wilfried Zaha, Jesse Lingard and Adnan Januzaj all impressed. Zaha in particular was keen to take his man on every time he got the ball and his direct play led to United’s equaliser in the 20th minute. Easing past the full-back down the right side, Zaha delivered a low cross that the Japanese defence couldn’t cope with and when it fell to Lingard seven yards out he couldn’t really miss. His third goal in his last two games, it is proving to be an impressive tour for the young forward.

For the remainder of the first half, United were pretty much in control. De Gea did save well with his foot from Marquinhos in the 15th minute while Janujaz did his job well in heading an in swinging corner off the goal line. At the other end, though, United were making life uncomfortable for the Marinos defence and when Janujaz swung in a dangerous free-kick just after the half hour, home goalkeeper Tetsuya Enomoto made a right mess of things and the subsequent confusion ended up with defender Masakazu Tashiro diverting the ball in to his own goal.

With United making a couple of changes at half-time, their momentum inevitably suffered. Jonny Evans was an inch off target in the 47th minute while Danny Welbeck again seemed to over-complicate things when presented with a couple of half chances. United paid for these moments of profligacy, too, as central defender Fabio appeared unmarked at a corner in the 49th minute to head Marinos level at the far post.

Kagawa’s arrival certainly helped to make the final half an hour interesting as United understandably began to wilt in the conditions. The one chance that did come his way, though, saw him shoot rather tamely at the goalkeeper from the edge of the penalty area. Fellow substitute Ashley Young, meanwhile, almost marked his first action since April’s Manchester derby, only for his 80th minute shot to be deflected in to the side netting.

Sadly for United, though, there was to be a winning goal and it came at their end.

United, as expected, tired noticeably late on in the game and when one substitute, Jin Hanato, weaved his way past Evra and Jones down the left, another, Yoshihito Fujita, beat De Gea with a first time shot.