Signing off
That’s all for now. Thanks for following along with us.
Statistical postmortem
Here’s a look at the final stats.
Man Utd Barca
3 Goals 1
10 Attempts 18
6 On target 6
3 Offsides 2
3 Corners 7
26 Fouls 8
2 Cards 0
39 Possession 61
Equal time
In keeping with the Fairness Doctrine, two responses to Mo’s observation that “[b]eating Barca without Messi is like taking an elevator to the top of Everest.”
- From Pragz, via email: “United supporter here, Well I was reading your mbm and I see one of the email has been quoted beating barca without messi is like taking elevator bla bla. Well I think these are practice friendly matches doesn’t give me or Louis van gaal or Rooney on scoring goal any sort of joy either that would get me out of my seat. With messi would had been fun. But remember we might had our no. 7 as well.”
- From Amar, via email: “Barcelona is not only messi there ten other players. You just are insulting your team. Just deal with it.”
Updated
Correction
A note from Chris O’Hara:
Does the game being played in Santa Clara (home of amazing vampire film Lost Boys) have anything to do with the absence of Suarez?
Actually that brilliant film took place in fictional Santa Carla, which was based largely on Santa Cruz (where much of filming took place).
Full-time: Manchester United 3-1 Barcelona
There’s the final whistle. Messi or no Messi, United fans can take heart in today’s strong showing.
GOAL! Manchester United 3-1 Barcelona (Januzaj, 90 min+1)
Less than a minute later, Januzaj receives a pass from Andreas Pereira, leaves Bartra for dead then slots a cool finish past Masip.
Updated
GOAL! Manchester United 2-1 Barcelona (Rafinha, 90 min)
A wonderful cross to the far post by Sergi Roberto driven into the net by a picturesque left-footed volley from Rafinha.
Updated
85 min: Frank assessment from Mo Nassar via email:
Beating Barca without Messi is like taking an elevator to the top of Everest. Meaningless, more so in a noncompetitive fixture.
83 min: Fellaini hacks away at Munir outside the pitch, but it’s not called. Barca fans jeering the referee, believing it should be a penalty.
Updated
80 min: Another note on bookings, this from Nickolas Bogdanovich:
FA Has a mixed record. In 2010 they decided not to ban Patrick Vieira after he received a straight red in a friendly against Inter. But United fans will remember that both Scholes and Rooney received 3 match bans after receiving red cards in a friendly against Ajax in Amsterdam in the summer of 2006. There was quite a bit of opprobrium following the Rooney/Scholes bans so it’s unlikely they would take any action unless there is abhorrent behavior. Maybe if Jonesy were to bite someone?
78 min: A note from Jake Lewis-Smith regarding our earlier question on the implication of bookings in pre-season friendlies:
Regarding bookings and sendings off- other than the obvious impact a sending off can have on the game itself, and the irritation for the manager (LVG holds a mean grudge..), typically there is no further impact.
However, if the organisers of the friendly report it to the league, then it can carry over. This happened to Paul Scholes at one point (I think maybe the Amsterdam pre-season tournament?) and he ended up suspended for the first 3 games of the premier league season.
The more you know.
77 min: Herrera shown yellow for a foul on Rakitic, United’s second booking of the day.
75 min: A note from Matt Richman:
Obviously Barca are a different proposition with Messi and Neymar (and in an actually competitive fixture), but do I have any right to think of their performance without as lackluster?
Based on some of the feedback I’m reading from Barcelona fans, that’s a reasonable assessment.
74 min: Januzaj receives a pass and darts toward the goal. A well-paced cross that Masip barely gets a hand on. It sits there agonizingly in front of the net but it’s cleared before a United player can pounce on it.
71 min: Free kick for Barca and it’s headed toward the net and hits the post yet again! To catch you up on those 68th-minute substitutions: Bartra on for Pique, Gumbau on for Busquets, Sandro on for Pedro, Munir on for Suarez, Halilovic on for Iniesta.
70 min: Barcelona wins a corner but it’s cleared by Johnstone.
Updated
68 min: Another dangerous chance off the counter-attack. A long cross to Adnan Januzaj, who has the entire near post to himself and truly should have made it 3-0. But his shot is sprayed wide left and lets Barcelona off the hook. Five more changes for Barca coming. We’ll try to catch you up as soon as possible, but it appears at least Busquets and Suarez are coming off.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Barcelona (Lingard, 65 min)
The substitutions yield immediate dividends as a string of passes up the left flank and Ander Herrera’s overlapping run leads to a cross across the six-yard box to an onrushing Jesse Lingard, who drives it into the back of the net to double United’s lead.
Updated
62 min: Stoppage of play and wholesale changes for Manchester United just now. Eleven changes in all for Louis van Gaal: Johnstone, Valencia, Smalling, McNair, Blackett, Lingard, Fellaini, Herrera, Wilson, Pereira and Januzaj are now on.
Updated
61 min: Suarez appears to be played on and he rifles it into the back of the net. But the flag is up. He’s been called offsides. Replay confirms it but it was very close.
Updated
60 min: Another substitution for Barcelona at central defender: Mathieu on for Vermaelen.
56 min: Stephen Slater with an email clarifying an earlier meteorological misfire on my part:
Saw the comment in the blog. Remember the game isn’t in San Francisco its in Santa Clara which is about an hour south. Weather here varies dramatically in short distances and San Francisco can be freezing compared to down here (I live pretty close to the game). The game temperature is more like low to mid 80s which is a normal summer day here. It’s a tough life.
55 min: Martin Peters checks in, via email.
Phil Jones has just been booked. Apart from getting another yellow card which would of course see him sent off, are there any practical consequences to getting yellow or red cards in friendly matches? Any possible suspensions, fines, etc. ?
As far as I know, no. But open to corrections from the gallery here.
54 min: Free kick awarded to Manchester United near midfield. Played back and now they’re on the attack from right to left, but they’re dispossessed and now it’s Barcelona threatening.
53 min: Suarez dribbling in the area as the crowd swells, but takes a bit too much time and his belated pass to Sergi Roberto is easily intercepted.
50 min: Nice work by Memphis to put a shot on target in limited space but it’s saved. Moments later a shot by Rooney from outside the area skids wide right.
Updated
47 min: Phil Jones shown yellow. Bit of an unnecessary foul
46 min: And we’re under way in the second half and Barcelona kicks off. Two changes for Barca: Masip on for Ter Stegen, Rakitic on for Adriano.
Half-time: Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona
And that’s it for the first half. Wayne Rooney’s eighth-minute header is all that separates these sides.
45 min: Fourth official signals for one minute of stoppage time.
44 min: Christopher Rendle observes, via email.
it looks far too hot there
Actually a modest 60F/16C out there. As Mark Twain didn’t once say: “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”
43 min: Now it’s Suarez who finds himself in space just outside the area. The Uruguayan striker turns and crunches a shot past the outstretched arms of De Gea, but it skims the post. That’s the second time Suarez has found the woodwork today. Third time lucky?
41 min: Pedro with the ball in the area, trying to break down his defender as Suarez desperately calls for the pass, but he’s dispossessed.
38 min: Man, this field looks terrible. Obviously there’s a drought in California but it must be mentioned.
36 min: Corner played short and it’s headed from just in front of the near post straight into De Gea’s waiting hands.
35 min: Suarez draws the foul and Barcelona will restart play near midfield. They’ve worked the ball down near the goal line and they’ve now won a corner.
31 min: Ball falls to Rooney in the area. He turns to fire a shot on target but it’s deflected backwards and now Barcelona are on the counter-attack.
30 min: Nice instinctive play by De Gea to fully extend and intercept a cross with two Barcelona players lying in wait.
28 min: Another corner for United here. It’s played short and cleared, but the referee stops play for a foul after Rooney clobbers an opposing player while trying to jockey for position.
26 min: Young overhits the corner a bit and it’s out of bounds on the far side of the goal to Barca.
25 min: Young threads a nice ball to Rooney, who dribbles past the Barca keeper but can’t turn the ball on goal. Corner to United.
24 min: An email from Mark Turner regarding Rooney’s goal, subject line: “Slack set-piece marking in a pre-season friendly”:
Choose from:
1) Normal
2) Barcelona have no chance defending the treble this year
Because this is Association Football. No grey areas.
22 min: A Pedro low-flying cross into the box just misses the head of Suarez. One of Barca’s better chances today.
19 min: Free kick for Barcelona roughly 30 yards from the goal. Busquets plays it back and Barcelona is booting it around the middle third before a long entry cross. They’ve kept possession for a few minutes now.
15 min: Barca wins a corner but it’s easily cleared.
13 min: Manchester United dispossess Barca just in front of De Gea and moves quickly downfield on the counter-attack, but they give it away just past midfield. Matthew Richman chimes in via email:
Was that Vermaelen marking Rooney for the corner? If so, that’s frankly shocking defending from a former Arsenal captain.
I believe it was Adriano. Will post the replay shortly.
Updated
12 min: Bit of a slow stretch here as Barcelona wins a free kick near midfield.
10 min: Barca slowing it down a bit here, stringing together a few short passes around midfield.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona (Rooney, 8 min)
Young’s corner finds the head of Rooney, who eludes his marker and heads it past Ter Stegen into the back of the net. Breathtakingly casual marking on the set piece.
Updated
7 min: Manchester United win their first corner. Young to take it.
5 min: Sergi Roberto through on goal, with only De Gea to beat but De Gea makes the save!
4 min: Suarez over the free kick and he rips a thunderbolt that caroms off the post, a shot that left De Gea completely rooted. He didn’t even move toward it! Ball out of bounds and a corner for Barcelona, but it’s cleared harmlessly.
3 min: Now Barcelona on the attack and Manchester United have been whistled for a foul just outside the box. A dangerous position here.
1 min: And we’re off! Barcelona in their familiar home kits attacking from right to left, Manchester United in all-white strips. And within seconds United has moved it downfield, getting the ball to Rooney square in the area, but he can’t turn and put a shot on target.
The teams have emerged from the tunnel
Not much longer now. Barcelona has put together a quiz about the history of this storied matchup.
Hope springs eternal
Neil Carter checks in via email.
Bryan! Both worried and excited for the reds tonight.
Hoping for a David de Gea hat trick tonight and then David realising that Manchester is the place to be after all and signing a new five year contract on the pitch after the game.
Dare to dream, Neil.
Getting into form
Barcelona played their first match since the Champions League Final on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy to open their pre-season, surging ahead on goals from Luis Suárez and Sergi Roberto before conceding late. Following today’s match, they play once more in America (against Chelsea on Wednesday night) before returning to Europe.
Manchester United are playing their third pre-season tune-up after a 1-0 win over Club America (on a goal by new signing Morgan Schneiderlin) and a 3-1 triumph over the San Jose Earthquakes (behind goals by Juan Mata, Memphis Depay and Andreas Pereira).
Updated
The teams!
Here’s a look at today’s starting XIs.
Manchester United: De Gea; Darmian, Jones, Blind, Shaw; Carrick, Schneiderlin, Mata, Young; Memphis, Rooney
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Adriano, Pique, Vermaelen, Jordi Alba; Rafinha, Sergio, Iniesta, Pedro; Suarez, S.Roberto
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Preamble
Welcome to today’s friendly between Manchester United and Barcelona at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. A capacity crowd of 68,500 is expected in what represents the stiffest test of the pre-season to date for either side. Kickoff is just about 20 minutes from now. We’ll be back with the team information shortly.
Updated
Bryan will be here shortly.
