United trail to Kashima at half-time

Kashima Antlers 2 Manchester United 1

Manchester United survived an earthquake but were hit by two Masashi Motoyama thunderbolts to trail their hosts at half-time in Tokyo today.

A minor tremor midway through the opening period briefly quelled the otherwise incessant chanting from the Kashima Antlers fans but went un-noticed by both sets of players.

The efforts of Motoyama were not as easily avoided, two magnificent volleys either side of a Ryan Giggs effort giving the J-League leaders a half-time lead.