You, They and Me...

HOW MANY players can claim to have scored a double in a match against World Club and English Premier League champions Manchester United?

If we're talking about league games last season, that would be a big fat zero.

Only Blackburn's Benni McCarthy and Derby's Giles Barnes, both in Carling Cup encounters, managed this impressive and improbable feat against the Red Devils' watertight defence.

But even these top professionals did not beat two world-class goalkeepers within 90 minutes.

This is why Malaysia's two-goal wonder Mohd Amri Yahyah will have a heck of a football tale to tell his grandchildren one day.

The 28-year-old will no doubt be wearing a Cheshire grin when he recounts how his delightful lob beat the 1.97-metre Edwin van der Sar in front of the 85,000 capacity crowd at the Bukit Jalil Stadium just before half-time.

If you've missed it, you should search the Internet for a replay. It was truly top-drawer, impudent and exquisite, the stuff of fantasies for any striker.

Forget his 2005 Malaysian Premier League, Malaysian FA Cup and Malaysia Cup treble. The day 18 July, 6.15pm, will forever be the most special moment in Amri's football career.

Off the line

The Selangor skipper said of his first goal: 'I noticed that Van der Sar strayed off his line a few times and when the ball came towards me, I chested it down and took one shot when I saw him off the line again.'

He proceeded to top it off by capitalising on a horrific slip by Ben Foster to net an unlikely equaliser minutes into the second half.

'The second was more due to luck when the goalkeeper slipped. And when that happened I went for the ball and managed to push it into goal,' Amri said.

'To beat the Dutch national goalkeeper and future England goalkeeper was indeed very satisfying.'

To any footballer, these are spectacular events fit for a fairytale, and more so for a player who was deemed a has-been and endured exile from the national team for three years until he was drafted back recently.

Amri said: 'This means a lot to me as I had not played for the national team since a 2006 friendly against New Zealand.

'I thought I would never get back in, but this memorable match is more than I could have asked for.'

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Michael Owen made an immediate impact in his Manchester United debut Saturday, coming off the bench to score the winning goal in a 3-2 victory over a Malaysian XI in the first game of the team’s Asian tour.

The 29-year-old striker, who surprisingly joined Man United on a free transfer from Newcastle, struck with five minutes to go after the Premier League champions had surrendered a two-goal lead in front of 85,000 spectators in Kuala Lumpur.

Just when United looked like it would have to settle for the tie, Owen pounced on a loose ball after Darron Gibson’s pass to Ryan Giggs was blocked by goalkeeper Mohamad Farizal Marlias.

“Michael is different to the other strikers we have here,” manager Sir Alex Ferguson said. “He’s always searching for that space in and around the box, and he reacted really well to take his goal.

“The goalkeeper blocked the ball as Ryan ran through, but you knew Michael would be the first man to get on to it.”

Owen replaced England striker Wayne Rooney in the 61st minute. He first combined with Dimitar Berbatov in attack and then 17-year-old Federico Macheda from the 76th.

“It’s a nice feeling and it’s nice to play a game in the red shirt,” Owen said. “Just to get off the mark for the season is nice, and it’s probably doubly good for me as it’s my first game as well.

“It’s just nice to play with players who are on your wavelength, spotting your runs and who are just class players.”

Rooney had put United ahead in the eighth minute at Bukit Jalil National Stadium, latching on to a rebound from Berbatov to put the ball beyond the reach of Farizal.

Rooney turned provider in the 27th with a cross that Nani slotted into the net, with United appearing to cruise to a comfortable win.

But on the stroke of halftime, Mohamad Amri Yahyah chipped United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar from about 25 metres out to make it 2-1.

Malaysia started the second half strongly and the tying goal came in the 52nd, with Amri this time exposing Van der Sar’s replacement.

Amri took advantage of a bad pass from John O’Shea to go around substitute ‘keeper Ben Foster, who is hoping to dislodge Van der Sar from the first team and earn a spot in the England squad for the 2010 World Cup.

“Obviously, the second goal came about after a mistake by Ben,” Ferguson said. “He just took his eye of the ball and it bobbled up a little bit.

“It’s unfortunate because he’s only just come back from injury and he’ll want to get that out of his mind as soon as possible.”

It took the arrival of Owen, whose quality has been questioned after a succession of injuries, to ensure Foster wouldn’t pay for his mistake.

The Red Devils will play the Malaysian XI again Monday in Kuala Lumpur after their trip to Indonesia was cancelled in the wake of Friday’s bomb attack on the Jakarta hotel where they were due to stay. They will depart Wednesday for the next leg of their Asia tour in Seoul and then on to China.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Michael Owen made an immediate impact in his Manchester United debut Saturday, coming off the bench to score the winning goal in a 3-2 victory over a Malaysian XI in the first game of the team’s Asian tour.

The 29-year-old striker, who surprisingly joined Man United on a free transfer from Newcastle, struck with five minutes to go after the Premier League champions had surrendered a two-goal lead in front of 85,000 spectators in Kuala Lumpur.

Just when United looked like it would have to settle for the tie, Owen pounced on a loose ball after Darron Gibson’s pass to Ryan Giggs was blocked by goalkeeper Mohamad Farizal Marlias.

“Michael is different to the other strikers we have here,” manager Sir Alex Ferguson said. “He’s always searching for that space in and around the box, and he reacted really well to take his goal.

“The goalkeeper blocked the ball as Ryan ran through, but you knew Michael would be the first man to get on to it.”

Owen replaced England striker Wayne Rooney in the 61st minute. He first combined with Dimitar Berbatov in attack and then 17-year-old Federico Macheda from the 76th.

“It’s a nice feeling and it’s nice to play a game in the red shirt,” Owen said. “Just to get off the mark for the season is nice, and it’s probably doubly good for me as it’s my first game as well.

“It’s just nice to play with players who are on your wavelength, spotting your runs and who are just class players.”

Rooney had put United ahead in the eighth minute at Bukit Jalil National Stadium, latching on to a rebound from Berbatov to put the ball beyond the reach of Farizal.

Rooney turned provider in the 27th with a cross that Nani slotted into the net, with United appearing to cruise to a comfortable win.

But on the stroke of halftime, Mohamad Amri Yahyah chipped United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar from about 25 metres out to make it 2-1.

Malaysia started the second half strongly and the tying goal came in the 52nd, with Amri this time exposing Van der Sar’s replacement.

Amri took advantage of a bad pass from John O’Shea to go around substitute ‘keeper Ben Foster, who is hoping to dislodge Van der Sar from the first team and earn a spot in the England squad for the 2010 World Cup.

“Obviously, the second goal came about after a mistake by Ben,” Ferguson said. “He just took his eye of the ball and it bobbled up a little bit.

“It’s unfortunate because he’s only just come back from injury and he’ll want to get that out of his mind as soon as possible.”

It took the arrival of Owen, whose quality has been questioned after a succession of injuries, to ensure Foster wouldn’t pay for his mistake.

The Red Devils will play the Malaysian XI again Monday in Kuala Lumpur after their trip to Indonesia was cancelled in the wake of Friday’s bomb attack on the Jakarta hotel where they were due to stay. They will depart Wednesday for the next leg of their Asia tour in Seoul and then on to China.