Manchester United played their last game of their United States tour against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, July 29th at the sold-out Soldier Field in Chicago.
United had already beaten Club America in Seattle on the 17th, San Jose Earthquakes in San Francisco on the 21st, and beat Barcelona on the 25th.
However, United was not able to close off their preseason tour in the U.S. with four complete victories as they fell to PSG 2-0.
The game started off with equal possession and 88% passing accuracy for both teams. Once the 15 minute mark hit, Manchester United started pushing forward with a few shot attempts.
United’s Juan Mata shot a goal at the 21st minute in a one-on-one encounter with PSG’s goal keeper Kevin Trapp. However, Mata was called for offside and the goal was ruled out, keeping the score level.
Just a short three minutes after, PSG’s Blaise Matuidi was able to take advantage of United’s momentary lack of defense, beating David De Gea, and knocking the ball into the net.
The second goal came easy for PSG when Zlatan Ibrahimovic led his way down the field, passing the ball to Maxwell Scherrer on the wing, who then returned the ball to Ibrahimovic directly in front of the goal for an easy tap-in.
The second half was more competitive as a pressured Manchester United focused offense and controlling the ball.
Several players were subbed out in the second half in order to avoid injury before the season begins. Ibrahimovic, also titled man of the match, walked off at the 70 minute mark. However, Wayne Rooney remained on the field, frantically trying to make a comeback.
With Angel di Maria missing from United’s preseason tour, there is a prediction that he will be soon transferred to PSG. PSG’s David Luiz hopes to play with di Maria saying, “Every single team he plays in, he makes a difference.”
Luiz talked about the game against Manchester United saying, “It is never easy playing against them; they are an amazing team. We are preparing for the future season and we are lucky there were no injuries during this dangerous match.”
Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United and claiming the International Champions Cup is a perfect build-up as they return to France for a new season. As for Manchester United, they will now head back to England and prepare for their season opener against Tottenham on August 8th.
