YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) - Manchester United overpowered Japan's Gamba Osaka 5-3 to book their place in the Club World Cup final on Thursday, with six goals in a breathless 17 minutes.
First-half headers from Nemanja Vidic and Cristiano Ronaldo, both from Ryan Giggs corners, set them on their way but it was the second period that set the game on fire.
Gamba pulled one back through Masato Yamazaki in the 74th minute before Wayne Rooney pounced a minute later soon after coming on as a substitute. Another substitute, Darren Fletcher, made it 4-1 on 78 minutes before Rooney bagged another seconds after the restart.
Adding to the drama, Gamba won a penalty when Gary Neville handled the ball and Yasuhito Endo converted the spot kick with five minutes left. Hideo Hashimoto then made it 5-3 in injury time.