BEIJING, 27 July 2005 — Korean Park Ji-sung scored his first goal for the club as Manchester United cruised to a 3-0 preseason win over Chinese side Beijing Guo’an yesterday.
The Premier League side wasted several good opportunities in the first half, striker Ruud van Nistelrooy being the worst culprit, before midfielder Paul Scholes headed a precise cross into the corner of the net in the 40th minute.
Scholes scored again four minutes later when he charged through the middle and smoothly clipped a Van Nistelrooy pass into the net.
United struck again early in the second half when winger Cristiano Ronaldo streaked down the right flank and crossed for midfielder Park to head a simple goal.
Park looked lively throughout the match with his neat passing and aggressive tackling.
“He’s a goal scorer. His movement, penetration in the last third of the field is very good,” United manager Alex Ferguson told reporters. “I’m very pleased with him.”
A nasty challenge on Van Nistelrooy in the second half was one of several unfriendly moments in the match, in which two Beijing players were carried off and United’s Phil Neville and Alan Smith received yellow cards.
“It was competitive,” Ferguson said. “I don’t think it got out of control, I thought the referee handled it well. Tonight was a much more competitive game than in Hong Kong. I’m very satisfied.”
United opened their Asian tour with a 2-0 win over Hong Kong on Saturday, and next travel to Tokyo for friendlies against Japanese clubs Kashima Antlers and Urawa Reds.
United’s China trip followed a similar money-spinning tour by Real Madrid, who earned a hard-fought 3-2 win over Beijing on Saturday.
Inter Milan Kick Off Tour
With Win at Leicester
In Leicester, England, Inter Milan launched their preseason tour of England with a 2-1 win over second division Leicester City on Monday. The Serie A side announced on Saturday they were pulling out of the tour because of safety fears following the London bombings earlier this month, only to reverse their decision 24 hours later.
Leicester were sunk by goals from Santiago Solari and Lampros Choutos. Substitute Chris O’Grady replied with a penalty for the home team. Roberto Mancini’s side will continue their four-match tour with a game against second division Crystal Palace today.
Coach Mancini said his players were not unduly worried about playing in London.
“From Milan to Rome to London, the fear is the same,” he told reporters. “There’s not a huge fear because of playing in London, any more than playing in other places.”
Inter are also due to play Premier League Portsmouth and second division Norwich City on their tour.
Boca Juniors Defeat
FC Seoul 2-1
In Seoul, Argentine club Boca Juniors ended on Tuesday their tour of South Korea with a 2-1 win in a friendly match against K-League team FC Seoul at the Seoul World Cup stadium.
Rodrigo Palacio after 16 minutes and Danial Bilos after 44 minutes scored for the Argentines in the first half of the game. Baek Ji Hoon of the Seoul team made one goal in the second half. Boca Juniors played the match after participating in the Peace Cup, an eight-team preseason tournament won by British club Tottenham Hotspur.
The Argentine club and FC Seoul signed on Monday a “fellowship agreement” to cooperate in marketing and exchanges. Boca will continue their tour in the Netherlands.
