Procreating the Infection

Not really sure what to make of the game yesterday, it had the feeling of a friendly, even though it wasn't, and even though the game ended 5-3 it never really seemed to get going.
This, from The Guardian's report, sums it up quite well:

United's victory had more of the air of lively and spirited testimonial
than a do-or-die semi-final with six goals in the final 16 minutes
producing the spectacle Fifa and a crowd of 67,618 craved. The
spectators got the individual cameos they demanded too, with Nemanja
Vidic and Cristiano Ronaldo heading United into a comfortable interval
lead before Wayne Rooney emerged from the bench to score twice and collect the European champions' only booking of the game.

The Mail tries to make something out of Rooney's booking but even it can hardly muster much indignation:

Rooney was in delightfully belligerent form as a late substitute to
score two goals in a quite remarkable closing 18 minutes and was then
booked for what appeared an unnecessary hack at Gamba Osaka midfielder
Michihiro Yasuda.

'Well I got the ball, didn’t I?’ asked Rooney later, with one of
those don’t-mess-with-me looks that he usually reserves for match
officials and people who support Liverpool.

Indeed, he did. But
the fact that it was stuck tight to the prone Yasuda’s chest as Rooney
had a couple of digs at it earned him his yellow card.

And then the standard cliché about he must learn to control ... yawns ...
There's also reports on Ferguson's comments about Real's renewed rumour-mongering about Ronaldo.  From The Guardian:

"You don't think we'd get into a contract with that mob, do you?
Jesus Christ. I wouldn't sell them a virus. So that's a no — there is
no agreement between the clubs."

Ferguson added that it was not a
coincidence that Real should revive the Ronaldo story at a time when
they have just sacked Bernd Schuster as coach and lost to their La Liga
rivals Barcelona.

Rather bizarrely The Telegraph's headline is "Sir Alex Ferguson stokes up row with Real Madrid over Christiano Ronaldo", as if it is somehow Sir Alex's fault that this has made the news. Very snappy headline as well...