United down City 2-0 in first foreign derby

HOUSTON: Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford were on target as Manchester United defeated Premier League rivals Manchester City 2-0 in their International Champions Cup pre-season clash here Thursday.

Belgian international Lukaku grabbed his second goal in his second start for United as the Red Devils eased past a disjointed City at Houston’s NRG Stadium. England striker Rashford meanwhile continued his impressive pre-season form with his third goal in three games of United’s US tour. The game was the first ever Manchester derby played on foreign soil and both teams commemorated the May 22 attacks at a concert in the city shortly before the kick-off. “It was a very good training session,” United manager Jose Mourinho said afterwards. “We had to play well in the first half, is good intensity, the players are tired. I am really pleased and I’m sure Pep (Guardiola) is the same. The result is not the most important thing.”

U2 HELP PAY FOR BERLIN PITCH

BERLIN: Rock band U2 are paying 90,000 euros ($104,809) towards the cost of laying a new pitch for Hertha Berlin so next week’s friendly against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool can take place.

Since Wednesday, a new pitch has been laid at Berlin’s iconic Olympic Stadium to replace the damaged surface after the Irish rockers recently played a concert in the German capital.

U2 will pay most of the total cost of 130,000 euros, according to German daily Bild, so that Hertha can host Liverpool on Saturday July 29 in a friendly to mark both clubs’ 125th anniversaries.

OZIL ON VERGE OF HUGE NEW GUNNERS DEAL

LONDON: Mesut Ozil is close to signing a new contract with Arsenal, according to British media reports on Friday. His current deal runs out at the end of the 2017/18 season, but Arsenal are confident of wrapping up negotiations in the next couple of weeks. According to reports, the terms for the 28-year-old’s proposed new deal are around £280,000 ($363,000, 313,000 euros) a week, which would make him the club’s top earner, although it’s believed that Ozil was originally holding out for closer to

£350,000.