Angel Di Maria was described by the announcer calling the match today as a “mercurial magician,” a part of a side “that looks irresistible moving forward.” Di Maria had his second scoring strike in just his second game with Manchester United. And when you see it, you’ll believe that he was worth every British pound that he cost.
The man who broke the British transfer fee record, by costing Old Trafford £59.7 million is earning his pay, giving the ground at King Power Stadium and those watching at home on NBC Sports Network an incredible goal that very few players would even have the stones to attempt, let alone the talent to execute.
Early in the first half, Angel Di Maria was set up beautifully by Wayne Rooney as he receives a crisp pass. Radamel Falcao was there to create just enough space for Di Maria who was greeted by two Foxes, and Angel released a pitching wedge style arc at just the exact correct moment. It floated at the perfect height, and left the opposing goalkeeper motionless and helpless to stop it.
Here’s the Angel Di Maria Vine:
Of course, this was all for naught, as United totally collapsed in the second half, the defense did not show up at all, and David de Gea had a very poor performance. It was embarrassing and unacceptable that a team which cost £200 million lost to a side that was newly promoted. Leicester City beat United at home for the first time since 1985.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partners with Fox Sports and Yahoo. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN2