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Man Utd skipper Neville happy for rare playing chance

Manchester United skipper Gary Neville was unhappy with the goals conceded in last night's 5-3 Club World Cup semifinal victory over Gamba Osaka.

"The main thing is we're in the final and we have a great chance [to win it]," Neville told ManUtd.com. "We played some good football and caused them a lot of problems, but we got sloppy at the end, and as a defender you feel very disappointed because we've conceded three goals. Overall, we're happy with the result and large parts of our performance."

United now meet LDU Quito in the final on Sunday - the Ecuadorians beat Mexicans Pachuca in the other semi-final. And although the tournament may not be generally regarded in England as one of football's top prizes, Neville disagrees.

"It's a competition which, in our country, is not really regarded as one of the top tournaments," he said. "But when you look at the way teams from Italy and Spain have celebrated winning it over the years, you see how big a competition it is. We certainly see it as a big competition and one we want to win."

Neville got the nod ahead of young Brazilian Rafael at right-back and was pleased with his performance, despite being unlucky to concede a second-half penalty.

"I was glad to get more minutes under my belt, but I was frustrated by the penalty - I didn't think it was [deliberate handball]. But maybe that's me being biased!"

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