Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his arrival in English football with an 83rd-minute victor as Manchester United edged Leicester City 2-1 at Wembley yesterday (Aug 7) to win the Community Shield. Marouane Fellaini’s bad back-pass gifted Vardy a second-half equaliser and the midfielder had rarely imposed himself on the game before then. Having vowed to win a trophy in his first match with United, he duly did so by rising to meet Valencia’s cross and deliver the first silverware of the Mourinho era.
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‘It feels good. It was the first game we played, for a trophy, and we won, ‘ Ibrahimovic said after the victory at Wembley. “I could not take (Marouane) Fellaini or Ibra off, they were important for the Rory Delap throw-ins and we wanted to win the game”.
‘It was a hard game, we play against a good team, the champions from last season.
“At this moment we are not a super team, just a team with a super desire who want to work” he said. “This is why I came”.
“I feel very good, it’s a fantastic team, with good spirit, and everybody knows the coach”.
Okazaki was then denied by the crossbar a minute later when he met Marc Albrighton’s corner with a powerful header as the Premier League champions threatened United’s goal.
A LATE goal from new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic won the Community Shield for Manchester United at Wembley this afternoon.
England worldwide, Jamie Vardy, who grabbed a 24-goal haul in the EPL last season, continued his scoring form when he stepped in at the 52nd minute to secure an equaliser for the Foxes after a howler by Fellaini. “Hopefully I can win much more than this”. “The only one I can compare it to is Milan”.
The tempo of the game dropped as both managers made use of their six permitted substitutions, but Ibrahimovic nearly prodded United back in front after a spell of sustained pressure, with Drinkwater hooking clear from in front of his own goal after the Swede stabbed the ball past Schmeichel. He gave me exactly what I needed. Zlatan needs the team to play, he needs the team to produce and he needs the team to be arriving in the final third.
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Summer signing defender Eric Bailly also started and played the full 90 minutes for United, while fellow recruit Henrikh Mkhitaryan was only a late substitute for Juan Mata, who himself was a sub after the hour mark.
