A superb Wayne Rooney 73rd-minute strike gave 10-man Manchester United a 1-0 victory over Ecuador's LDU in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.

United became the first British winners of the FIFA tournament following Liverpool's failure in 2005 when they were beaten 1-0 by Brazil's Sao Paulo.

The European champions overcame a moment of madness from defender Nemanja Vidic, sent off four minutes into the second half for elbowing LDU striker Claudio Bieler in the face.

The Serb's red card sparked United into life and Rooney smashed home the winner in Yokohama after a magical flick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, the victim of persistent rough treatment from Libertadores Cup holders LDU, was a constant threat as United dominated a match watched by almost 69,000 fans.

Alex Ferguson's side won the tournament's forerunner, a one-off match between the champions of Europe and South America, with a 1-0 win over Brazilian side Palmeiras in 1999.

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