Two of the most storied clubs in European soccer met at FedEx Field on Tuesday night, as Manchester United prevailed over Inter Milan before a crowd of 61,238. Competing in the group stage of the International Champions Cup, the ever-popular English Premier League side played a scoreless 90 minutes against their Italian Serie A counterparts before rewarding the overwhelmingly partisan crowd with a 5-3 victory in the penalty-kick shootout.
Coming off a disappointing 2013-14 season, United came to town looking to solidify its form under new manager Louis van Gaal, who took the reins four days after leading the Netherlands to a third-place finish at this summer’s World Cup. The Dutchman’s vaunted 3-5-2 formation yielded immediate dividends as his club poured in 10 goals in two matches against LA Galaxy and AS Roma, but the offense seemed a bit stagnate against Inter.
Initially put on their heels by Inter’s long balls and set pieces, the Red Devils gradually took control—displaying a crisp passing game in the midfield led by new addition Ander Herrera—though they lacked precision in the final third and created few chances to score. Wayne Rooney continued his strong preseason, putting forth a spirited work rate, but his strike from just outside the box during the 18th minute sailed well over the bar.
United’s attack intensified significantly after van Gaal took advantage of tournament rules to make a host of substitutions at the half, replacing sure-starters with several players fighting for their place on the club. Ashley Young and Luke Shaw were dynamic coming forward from their wingback positions, their runs and crosses put mounting pressure on Inter’s’ defense. Striker Wilfried Zaha had some flashy moments, showing formidable speed and dribbling skills while taking on multiple Inter defenders. Crowd-favorite Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez came on late to great fanfare, but played a fairly unremarkable 15 minutes in relief of Nani.
Inter’s best chance came in the 85th minute, when Freddy Guarin deftly rocketed a 30-yard free kick on goal, only to have Man U goalkeeper David De Gea parry it with a leaping fingertip save. It was the only shot on goal for the Nerazzuri, whose performance was mainly laudable for a stout defense led by former Red Devil center back Nemanja Vidic.
Soon, it was on to penalty kicks, with Young, Hernandez, Tom Cleverley, and Shinji Kagawa converting for United and Guarin, Yann M’Vila, and Saphir Taider scoring for Inter to make it 4-3 when Inter’s Marco Andreolli hit the crossbar with his pacy attempt. The clincher came from United captain Darren Fletcher, who confidently drilled his shot into the bottom-left corner past a diving Juan Pablo Carrizo.
Afterwards, van Gaal hailed his club’s effort as “by far the best match” of his brief tenure, though the initial torpor and overall unevenness of the evening’s proceedings might give reason to beg to differ. Ultimately, though, United’s legion of fans seemed to leave satisfied, having seen their heroes in person and gotten glimpses of the quality that top-level European soccer has on offer. In any case, the Red Devils next head to Ann Arbor, Mich., where upwards of 100,000 people are expected to attend their next International Champions Cup match against Spanish juggernauts Real Madrid.
