A SECOND-HALF strike from Wayne Rooney handed 10-man Manchester United a deserved 1-0 victory over LDU Quito in the FIFA Club World Cup Final at the Yokohama Stadium on Sunday. United dominated the first half but were unable to break the deadlock as opposition goalkeeper Jose Cevallos was called into action on several occasions. The UEFA Champions League holders were dealt a setback four minutes after the interval when centre-back Nemanja Vidic was handed a straight red card by referee Ravshan Irmatov for catching Claudio Bieler with his elbow. South American club champions LDU Quito began to make their numerical advantage pay, but they were undone in the 73rd minute when Rooney smashed home the winner after he was teed up by Cristiano Ronaldo. In the final minutes, Van der Sar needed to make a flying save to deny Damian Manso and even Tevez was off the bench as the celebrations began. It is the first time an English club have won the tournament in its expanded form, following Liverpool's failure in 2005 when they were beaten 1-0 by Brazil's Sao Paulo in the final, and the second time United have been crowned best on the planet when they won over the Brazilian side Palmeiras 1-0 1999. The England forward Rooney hit his third goal in two games after netting a brace in the 5-3 semi-final win over Gamba Osaka. Consequently, he equaled Mohamed Abu Treika's total of three goals in all CWC appearances, with the Ahli ace failing to add to his tally this year. Rooney was named best player in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup tournament while Cristiano Ronaldo, who set up Rooney with the goal in Yokohama, won the silver ball after two impressive displays for the Red Devils. Liga's schemer Damian Manso came third after producing an absolutely stunning performance against the European champions. "We're the best team in the world," said Rooney. "It's a great achievement for the team and something we're all really proud of. It's been a long road. To score the winning goal is a great feeling." On the other hand, the CONCACAF champions had to settle with fourth position, after they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Gamba Osaka in the third/fourth place game on Sunday. Prior to the Gamba loss, Pachuca beat Ahli 4-2 in their first CWC game, before they lost 2-0 in the semis to South American champions Liga de Quito.
