David Beckham celebrates scoring United's fifth goal in the Treble Reunion game at Old Trafford

Treble Reunion: United 5 Bayern Munich 0

Sunday 26 May 2019 17:12

Manchester United beat Bayern Munich 5-0 in the Treble Reunion game at Old Trafford, in front of 61,175 fans.

Sir Alex Ferguson's team put on the style in an event that raises valuable funds for the club's Foundation with current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scoring the opener before Dwight Yorke doubled the lead on the half-hour mark. Nicky Butt, the Man of the Match, and Louis Saha added to the scoring after the break and there was a magical moment in the final minute, when David Beckham danced through to slam the ball home in front of the Stretford End.

Although the result did not really matter on the day, it was a fitting game to mark 20 years since the famous night in Barcelona, when United beat Bayern to clinch the Treble. All credit must go to the organisers from both clubs for providing such a tribute as the Reds started with 10 of the XI who were selected at the Nou Camp.

Video
Watch Ole Gunnar Solskjaer score the first goal of the Treble Reunion game.

Solskjaer came on before the first minute was up, for Andy Cole, and did not take long to do what he always did best. Beckham got past Andreas Ottl on the right and crossed to Yorke, only for Hans-Jorg Butt to pull off a reflex stop. Yorke retrieved the ball and backheeled to Jesper Blomqvist, and his accurate centre was tapped home from inside the six-yard box by the still-predatory Solskjaer.

Peter Schmeichel made a smart save to deny Ivica Olic and his opposite number, Hans-Jorg Butt, was just as sharp when turning away a drive by Gary Neville, who seemed to be rediscovering his touch at that early point but got this one right with a venomous effort from a Solskjaer pass. Roy Makaay headed over for Bayern as the chances kept coming thick and fast.

After 22 minutes, Paul Scholes found the net in style but the ball had bounced off a clearly offside Neville and was rightly disallowed. A measure of the competitive nature of the contest came when Martin Demichelis appeared to be angered by a robust challenge by Scholes on the ex-Manchester City man, and United doubled the lead with a finish of real quality. Teddy Sheringham, on for Solskjaer, spread the play to Blomqvist and he again supplied the assist with a telling cross that Yorke met with a sublime volley, which drew applause from everybody, including Sir Alex and Steve McClaren on the bench.    

Beckham picked out Sheringham on the penalty spot to force Butt into a flying save with a header and, after Schmeichel made way for Raimond van der Gouw and handed the captain's armband to Neville, Paulo Sergio nodded the final opening of the half wide from a Ze Roberto cross.

Big Carsten Jancker came off the bench for Bayern for the second half, one of numerous regular changes throughout the latter part of the game, to evoke further memories of the 1999 final. The centre-forward had an excellent chance within four minutes, but van der Gouw saved comfortably.

An overlap by Denis Irwin, collecting a pass by Karel Poborsky, set up Scholes with the goal gaping but Demichelis was at full stretch on the line to divert it to safety. As the substitutions kept coming, Beckham had a decent penalty shout when his free-kick appeared to strike an arm in the wall and there was more evidence of some of the aggression on show when Stam made a physical challenge that prompted some complaints by the Bayern players.

Neville, who seemed inspired by pulling on the armband again, flashed a shot across goal after a one-two with Sheringham and the striker then poked wide when teed up by Poborsky, as the Reds kept applying the pressure in front of an expectant Stretford End.

Video
See how Dwight Yorke doubled United's lead on the half-hour mark.

There were three late goals to excite the crowd even more, firstly a deserved effort from Butt, who played the full match and was excellent throughout. The midfielder passed the ball to Louis Saha and arrived on cue to meet the Frenchman's ball into the box with an angled side-foot finish that beat Bernd Dreher. Six minutes later, Saha supplied the final touch from close range after a nice move released Jonathan Greening and he unselfishly squared it to his colleague.

Greening, who was on the bench at the Nou Camp in 1999, put in some more good work that led to Butt sending a flying overhead kick off target, as Sammy Kuffour tried to close him down. While that would have been spectacular, the final goal was as well received as most here at the famous ground.

Beckham, another who lasted the entire 90 minutes, still had enough energy right on time to dribble past Hans Pflugler inside the box. The crowd held its breath as the former England captain steadied himself and slammed high into the net past Dreher to put the seal on a 5-0 triumph.

Video
David Beckham's goal was a wonderful way to end the afternoon's action.

THE TEAMS

United: Schmeichel (c) (van der Gouw 34, Pilkington 74); G. Neville, Stam (Brown 68), Johnsen (Berg 79), Irwin (Silvestre 57); Beckham, Butt, Scholes (Greening 59), Blomqvist (Poborsky 46); Yorke (Saha 41), Cole (Solskjaer 1, Sheringham 26, May 79).

Bayern Munich: Butt; Witecek, Demichelis, Matthaus (c), Ottl; Ze Roberto, Effenberg, Paulo Sergio, Olic; Makaay, Elber.

Subs (all used): Dreher, Pflugler, Kuffour, Augenthaler, van Buyten, Nerlinger, Sternkopf, Schupp, Fink, Lakies, Jancker.

Subs not used: Babbel, Toni.

SCORERS:

United: Solskjaer 5, Yorke 30, Butt 79, Saha 85, Beckham 90

Attendance: 61,175

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