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United see off Osaka in eight-goal thriller
Manchester United, 13:02, December 18, 2008 ,
A Wayne Rooney brace helped Manchester United defeat Gamba Osaka 5-3 to secure a place in Sunday's Club World Cup final in Japan.
United took the lead on 20 minutes when Nemanja Vidic powered in a header from Ryan Giggs's pinpoint corner, before Cristiano Ronaldo then headed in another Giggs corner to make it 2-0 in first half stoppage time.
Osaka hit back to reduce the deficit on 74 minutes through Masato Yamazaki, before United raced into a 5-1 lead in the space of four minutes.
Rooney came off the bench for Carlos Tevez on 73 minutes and made it 3-1 in the space of two minutes with a clinical finish from a Darren Fletcher pass. Fletcher then headed in a Patrice Evra cross on 78 minutes before Rooney grabbed his second a minute later with a fabulous finish from Giggs's through-ball.
Osaka hit back with an 85th-penalty scored by Yashuhito Endo after Gary Neville handled Ryuji Bando's cross in the box, before Hideo Hashimoto made the score look even more respectable in the final minute as he smashed an unstoppable drive past Edwin Van der Sar.
It means United now go into Sunday's Club World Cup final against Liga de Quito of Ecuador.