Manchester United scored a second counter-attacking goal of the evening, this one from Michael Owen, to propel themselves over FC Barcelona 2-1in a tremendously entertaining match in front of 81,807 FedEx Field Saturday night.
Trailing 1-0 entering the second half, Barcelona had equalized in the 70th minute through Thiago Alcantara, who received a short pass from substitute Carlos Carmona, took a couple of strides through United's midfield, and let fly with a shot from about 20 yards that flew into the top left corner of David De Gea's net. Thiago had nearly scored four minutes earlier after playing a neat one-two with Andres Iniesta. Iniesta's return pass was lofted over the top of the United defense to the waiting Thiago and it was a very alert play by De Gea to divert the ball over the bar.
But Barcelona did not stay on level terms for very long. Six minutes after Thiago's thunderbolt, Tom Cleverley tracked down a loose pass in midfield and sent away Owen, who had come on for Wayne Rooney at halftime. Unlike Nani in the first half, Owen opted for placement instead of power, dinking the ball over the onrushing Victor Valdes and into the net.
But it didn't all go Owen's way, as the former Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Newcastle player had a chance to put the game out of reach in the first minute of stoppage time, but he didn't make good contact with Gabriel Obertan's cross and shanked the ball badly over the bar.