Manchester United laid claim to being the best club in the world yesterday by achieving the first British victory in the Intercontinental Cup.
For Alex Ferguson it was another silver landmark on his way to outstripping the achievements of Matt Busby at the club, but the United manager was typically already looking ahead to the next challenge.
"The world championship is very special, and I'm very proud of what my players have done," he said after the victory over Palmeiras of Brazil. "But you've got to win the European Cup firstly to get here and, no matter how you place this, the European Cup is always going to be the golden goose for us."
The Palmeiras coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who also lost with Gremio against Ajax in 1995, was gracious in defeat. "We learnt once again that Manchester United are a great and a tough team who can fight," he said.
Despite predictions that Scolari would order his players to kick United aside, the game had none of the violence that had marred previous British attempts on the cup.
In a game well handled by the German referee Helmut Krug, it was certainly no repeat of Manchester United's only other appearance back in 1968 when Nobby Stiles and George Best were sent off in a famously bad-tempered two-leg tie against Estudiantes.
For the first 30 minutes yesterday the Brazilian side looked the more dangerous, with United's players apparently still shaking off the tiredness of their long journey to Japan. United's goal came against the run of play in the 35th minute after Denis Irwin had found Ryan Giggs in rare space on the left. The Welsh winger looped over a cross which the goalkeeper Marcos seemed certain to take, only to find himself grasping at thin air. Roy Keane sprinted in behind him to tap the ball into an unguarded net.
According to Giggs, the man of the match, the magic was not in the cross but in the ball. "We've noticed during training that the balls here have been flying. They are very different from back home, the flight is deceptive and this one seems to have fooled the goalkeeper," he said.
The goal vindicated the strategy of Ferguson, who packed the midfield and left Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a lone striker in a formation designed for counter-attack. It meant that United were well short of producing a vintage performance, but it was still effective and entertaining.
The goal brought the game to life. Palmeiras stepped up their attack with Alex going close and Faustino Asprilla a constant thorn in United's side. Dwight Yorke, who came on in place of Solskjaer after the interval, injected fresh vitality into United's front line and should have put away at least one of three good chances he had within 15 minutes of taking the field.
Fortunately for United their goalkeeper Mark Bosnich had his best game for the club so far. He pulled off a couple of magnificent saves and rode his luck in the 69th minute when he was beaten by a free header from Alex which flew over the bar.
The same could not be said for David Beckham, the main attraction for most of the 53,000 crowd. The England midfielder had an anonymous game, though his every move was photographed by adoring fans who are used to his face from countless magazine covers and billboards.
Manchester United: Bosnich, Irwin, Stam, G Neville, Silvestre, Keane, Scholes (Sheringham 74), Butt, Beckham, Solskjaer (Yorke 45), Giggs. Subs Not Used: Taibi, P Neville, Wallwork, Higginbottom, Fortune. Booked: Silvestre. Goals: Keane 35.
Palmeiras: Marcos, Junior Baiano, Arce, J Junior, R. Junior, Zinho, Cesar Sampaio, Galeano (Paulino 54), Alex, Asprilla (O dos Santos 56), Paulo Nunes (Carvalho 77). Subs Not Used: Sergio, Conceicao, Regis, T dos Santos. Booked: Alex.
Referee: H Krug (Germany).
