United sprinkle the stardust

MANCHESTER UNITED will remember their first visit to the Aviva Stadium as a pleasant stroll in a lovely park, Alex Ferguson’s team banging in seven against an Airtricity XI — and that without Smokin’ Wayne Rooney ever catching fire in front of goal.

It might have been an historic night for Irish football but as early as 40 minutes before kick-off, and with the new stadium still filling up, it was already clear that national pride stopped short of actually supporting the home side.

The announcement over the PA of the Manchester United line-up stirred the early comers to noisy life, the roar of acclaim for the night’s skipper John O’Shea exceeded only by the deafening ovation which greeted the name of Rooney.

By contrast, the stars of the local game were accorded what might be best described as a polite welcome.

Red shirts also dominated in the stands, making Irish football’s theatre of dreams feel more like a home venue for Alex Ferguson’s men.

But then, on initial exposure to the new ground, the whole experience is pleasantly disconcerting for the native.

From a spacious and lofty perch high up in the press box, the most striking sensation is that you are at a match somewhere in England or Europe where they’ve long since grown accustomed to this level of sophistication.

Only the view of the Havelock Square houses — as now seen through those translucent panels — is a reminder that you are still in dear old Dublin after all.

But as the sun began its slow descent last night, it wasn’t long before admiration for the novel surroundings gave way to the familiar emotions of football watching, even if this was a game which lacked any really meaningful competitive edge.

Rooney’s first touch saw him smartly dispossessed by Sporting Fingal’s Shaun Williams while some trickery on the part of both Killian Brennan and that great League of Ireland entertainer Joseph Ndo — who, later on, would cheekily nutmeg Darron Gibson — briefly suggested that it wouldn’t be just the stars of the Premier League who would sprinkle a little magic dust on the occasion.

Still, United should have been in front after just seven minutes, an unmarked Ji-Sung Park heading tamely at Gary Rogers after good work on the right wing by Antonio Valencia.

The visitors were already making all the running but the first ever goal at the Aviva Stadium, when it came on 13 minutes, was the product of a bizarre act of self-destruction on the part of Sligo Rovers’ Gavin Peers. Having first done well to intercept a cross in the six yard box, he inexplicably dallied on the ball, and then, under minimal pressure from Ji-Sung Park, carelessly hit his clearance off the United man and high into the roof of his own net.

Peers won’t forget his error in a hurry but then neither will Rooney want to be reminded of a wasted opportunity in the 21st minute when, after Gary Rogers had kept Darron Gibson’s effort at bay, the boy wonder could only blast the rebound high over the bar with the goal gaping. An old hand showed him how it should be done a couple of minutes later, Michael Owen rolling back the years and showing a striker’s real opportunism by squeezing between two defenders to flick the ball over Rogers from a narrow angle.

With United now attacking in waves and Tomasz Kuszczak virtually a bystander at the other end, there was a growing sense that the Premier League side might run riot, not that the majority of the attendance showed any sympathy for the Irish side, instead concentrating their vocal efforts on encouraging Rooney to match his threatening approach play with a clinical finish. There might have been little to rally the home team but Ryan Guy’s trademark acrobatic throw-in earned the Pat’s man the appreciation of the crowd as well a look of cheerful astonishment on the part of Alex Ferguson.

The United manager wasn’t smiling moments later, however, when Michael Carrick was forced out of the fray through injury to be replaced by Darren Fletcher.

Owen and Rooney did finally depart departed at the break as Ferguson tried out a new strike combination of Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez, the Mexican hotshot taking barely one minute from the restart to rifle home a low Valencia cross with his first touch.

Bang on the hour mark, Valencia crowned an impressive overall performance with a well-taken goal to make it 4-0 for United. Park added his second, with a beautiful finish two minutes later, the goal prompting a rash of further substitutions on both sides as the game took on the air of a ritual humiliation for Damien Richardson’s side. Goal number six duly arrived via the head of Johnny Evans and still there were over 20 minutes left.

But the Airtricity XI seized what seemed the worst of moments to score a fine goal of their own, Conor Powell laying on the pass for Dave Mulcahy to beat substitute United keeper Ben Amos with the outside of his foot.

Almost immediately at the other end, Hernandez went down all too easily under a Ken Oman challenge, referee Alan Kelly pointed to the sport and Nani stepped up to send Gerard Doherty the wrong way.

So it was seventh heaven for Man United, a consolation goal of distinction for the Airtricity League and, to judge by the Mexican wave around the new stadium as the clocked ticked down, a first night which will be fondly recalled by an official attendance of 49,861.

The Aviva, however, still awaits its real baptism of fire.

Substitutes for Airtricity XI: Doherty for Rogers 70, Kenna for Peers 53, Mulcahy for Guy 70.

Subtitutes for Manchester United: Amos for Kuszczak 63, Fletcher for Carrick 35, Gibson, Nani for Park 63.