Sponsor of both teams, Turkish Airlines celebrated the World Football Challenge with Manchester United and FC Barcelona during a weekend of festivities and a special appearance by Kobe Bryant, the Airline’s Global Brand Ambassador.
On Saturday, July 30th, the two teams faced each other at FedEx Field, just outside of Washington, D.C. With 81,807 fans in attendance, Manchester United reclaimed their victory, just nine weeks after losing the Champions League Final to FC Barcelona at Wembley Stadium in London.
Nani scored the first goal of the match after receiving a pass from Danny Welbeck and taking it down the field through goalie Victor Valdés’ legs. After the half, FC Barcelona put on the pressure, and Thiago came back to tie the score 1-1. Just minutes later, Michael Owen slipped the ball past Valdés using his right foot to place the ball in the right side of goal. Thiago attempted to tie the score for a second time, but the ball flew over the goal and Manchester United walked away with the win.
At the end of the match, Kobe Bryant presented the “Turkish Airlines” trophy to Manchester United’s world-class defender Nemanja Vidic in celebration of the team’s victory.
