Class and experience won the day at Loftus on Saturday when European kings Manchester United lifted the Vodacom Challenge for the first time after defeating Kaizer Chiefs 4-0 in a lopsided match.
It was sweet revenge for United, who were beaten by the Amakhosi in the 2006 Challenge final at the same venue.
The two sides met in the opening Challenge clash at Newlands in Cape Town a week ago which ended in a 1-1 draw. United are unbeaten in this Challenge series. They beat Orlando Pirates 1-0 in Durban on Tuesday night.
United left straight after the final for Nigeria where they are due to play in a tournament which involves English FA Cup holders Portsmouth.
To be fair, Chiefs’ epic 2-0 win over arch rivals Pirates in the play-off for the final at the ERPU Stadium in Port Elizabeth took its toll. Chiefs faded badly as tired legs crept into their game in the second half.
United were able to bring on fresh players such as Argentine striker Carlos Tevez and Frazier Campbell to keep the Amakhosi under pressure in the second half.
But taking the Bucs’ scalp will be more than a consolation for Chiefs who simply could not contain a class side like United when they started moving up the gears after the break.
The first half rarely got out of first gear. But it was the European and English champions who always looked as though they would have no trouble.
Chiefs, to their credit, did South African soccer proud but they did not have enough time to recover after the bruising 2-0 win over Bucs.
United’s England striker Wayne Rooney chipped a clever ball over the Chiefs crossbar in the fifth minute.
United skipper Ryan Giggs almost gave away an own goal when he mis-hit a Siphiwe Tshabalala corner centimetres past his post in trying to clear the corner in the ninth minute.
Rooney was again in the thick of the action in the 21st minute when he tried to capitalise on a defensive mix-up but Chiefs were saved by their wide-awake goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune who stuck out his right foot and managed to clear the danger.
Chiefs fans in the near capacity crowd thought their team had won a penalty in the 34th minute but Madagascar referee Floriant Raolimanana made the right call when he ruled that United keeper Tomasz Kuszczak had played the ball and not Siphelele Mthembu Siphelele in fisting away a dangerous high ball.
Tshabalala was fractionally wide with a free kick from the edge of the penalty area in the 39th minute.
It came as no surprise when the magical Giggs coolly hammered home Lee Martins’ inch perfect left-wing cross, giving United a 1-0 lead.
United came close to making it 2-0 in injury time but defender Nemanja Vidic’s header from a Giggs corner flew just over the upright.
It did not take Rooney too long after the break to score his first goal on South African soil when he thudded home a class strike.
The match was over when United’s new prodigy — 18-year-old substitute Ton Cleverley, made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute after he rammed home a goal from close range after Rooney set him up with a clever header.
A spectacular overhead clearance by Chiefs skipper Jimmy Tau prevented United striker Campbell making it 4-0 with seven minutes to play.
United, sensing blood, went in for the kill and Campbell beat the offside trap in the 86th minute and crashed home goal number four past a helpless Khune. – Sapa