Liverpool masters Manchester

SINGAPORE – Luis Garcia and Didi Hamann made it a red-letter day for the Merseyside faithful as they led Liverpool Masters to a 2-0 victory over rivals Manchester United Masters in the Castlewood Group Battle of the Reds Saturday night at the National Stadium here.

Garcia headed in the opening goal while Hamann delivered his trademark long-range rocket in the second half as the Reds’ greats outclassed their counterparts in the nostalgic game witnessed by a 27,000-plus strong crowd in red.

It was also sweet revenge for the Liverpool Masters, which lost to Man U Masters in the previous game, 2-4.

“Every time you play Manchester United it’s always gonna be difficult. We lost to them in Stockholm but we changed our formation and it seemed to work and we got the right result in the end,” said Liverpool Masters manager Ian Rush.

Amid renditions of their respective anthems “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Glory, Glory Man United”, the legends from the two iconic English clubs turned back the hands of time and did their best to put up an entertaining show.

The Reds took the driver’s seat at the 16th minute when Jan Kromkramp issued a lovely cross to Garcia and the Spanish ace sent a looping header into the top corner of the United goal as the Liverpool diehards who included officials and clients of LFC partner Standard Chartered Bank roared in delight.

The Red Devils turned up the pressure after the restart and were nearly rewarded with the equalizer as Keith Gillespe launched an on-target volley. Liverpool’s keeper Jerzy Dudek, however, tipped it over.

German star Hamann then sealed the win by firing a 25-yard piledriver at the 71st.

“With a 1-nil score, you’ll never know what can happen. Man United played really well in the first part of the second half; they had a couple of chances and Jerzy made some good saves. So we’re obviously relieved we got the second goal. I think it kinda broke their hearts because it was hot, very humid, and it was difficult for them to come back,” said Hamann.

Notes: The players and everyone in attendance joined the world in expressing support for the people of France following the horrific terror attack in Paris. A moment of silence was offered for the victims before kickoff while a picture of the Eiffel Tower with the words “Pray for Paris” was displayed on the two scoreboards...The 80-minute match capped four days of activities that included a football clinic at Tanglin Trust School. The Liverpool Masters attended Standard Chartered’s “Legends Up Close” event, regaling some 60 clients of the bank from across the region with their charismatic presence and inspiring stories.