Monday, August 5, 2013

5 August 2007 - Welcome Home, Community Shield

On 5 August 2007, Manchester United won the first Community Shield played at the new Wembley, beating Chelsea on penalties, 1-1 (3-0).

Dating back to 1908, the competition pits the previous season's league winner against the FA Cup holder, which, in 2007, were United and Chelsea, respectively. The same two teams met in the last edition of the contest to be played at the old Wembley in 2000, when it was named the Charity Shield, with Chelsea winning 2-0. Since then, Cardiff's Millenium Stadium hosted the event while the new Wembley was under construction.

For the 2007 match, United went ahead with a 35th-minute goal from Ryan Giggs, but Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda equalized right before the break. The score remained level at 1-1 through 90 minutes and stoppage time, forcing a decision by penalty kicks (there was no provision for extra time).

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar shined in the shootout, denying Chelsea's first three attempts, while United scored their first two. That brought up striker Wayne Rooney for the winning shot, which he fired past keeper Petr Cech, who guessed correctly, but could not reach the ball in time.

It was United's twelfth outright Charity/Community Shield, with another four shared. They have since won it another three times, most recently in 2011, for a record of 19.




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