Rooney & Scholes - From Heroes to Villains

Poor Challenge
By Chris O'Brien
August 11 2006

Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes were both on the scoresheet as the Red Devils kicked-off their Amsterdam Tournament campaign with a 3-1 win over FC Porto. However, the duo were also both sent-off in an entertaining game at the Amsterdam Arena.

Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes both scored and saw red as Manchester United secured a 3-1 victory over FC Porto in their opening Amsterdam Tournament match.

The duo were both dismissed as United went down to 9-men, but still did enough to hold on for the three points and make themselves favourites to win the pre-season tournament, hosted each season by Dutch giants Ajax.

United named a strong side for the game, with Michael Carrick making his first appearance in the Red Devils jersey, and came through a successful first 77 minutes in red. John O'Shea was a late addition to the starting XI, with Rio Ferdinand complaining of a sore neck, as United named their first 'full-strength' line-up this pre-season.

Despite a strong start from Porto, United took the lead after only 11 minutes. Carrick sent his corner to Scholes on the edge of the penalty-area, with the midfielder taking his time before slamming the ball home with a low drive. This lead was doubled just eight minutes later thanks to a delightful chip from Rooney, but both players would see their evening end in disgrace.

Four minutes before the interval, Rooney was sent-off for making contact with Porto's Pepe as the two challenged for the ball in the air. Whilst the England striker, infamously sent-off for a childish stamp against Portugal in the World Cup quarter-final, did make contact with the player, the decision looked harsh. However, the same cannot be said for Scholes' dismissal, who was given his marching orders for a horrendous challenge from behind on Quaresma.

Porto failed to make their two-man advantage pay, and United had a determined Solskjaer to thank for securing an excellent victory. The Norwegian international weaved his way through the Porto backline, charging across the penalty-area before calmly slotting the ball through the legs of 'keeper Helton. It's always a delight to see the forward score, and this was a well-worked solo goal which will further boost the player's confidence ahead of the new campaign.

Porto earned themselves scant consolation with ten minutes to go as Pepe struck the goal of the game. The midfielder hit a superb long-range effort which left substitute goalkeeper Ben Foster with no chance. The strike also handed the Portuguese outfit a point thanks to the unique scoring system used in this tournament, with teams awarded a point for every goal they score. United lead the way with six points after this resounding victory, whilst Ajax and Inter Milan's 1-1 draw leaves both teams with a two-point tally.

Full Time - Manchester United 3-1 Porto

Manchester United: Van der Sar (Foster, 60), Bardsley, O’Shea (Simpson, 59), Brown, Evra, Park (Fletcher, 73), Carrick (Martin, 77), Scholes, Giggs (Richardson, 67), Rooney, Solskjaer.
Substitutes Not Used: D. Jones, Rossi, Miller. 

FC Porto: Helton, Bosingwa, Pepe, Pedro Emanuel (Adriano, 46); Paulo Assunção, Raul Meireles, Marek Cech e Anderson; Tarik, Alan (Quaresma, 58), Vieirinha (Bruno Alves, 72), Paulo Assunção (72)
Substitutes Not Used: Vítor Baía, Ricardo Costa e Diogo Valente