Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo failed to shine for their respective national teams as they were taken off at halftime in Argentina's 1-0 loss to Portugal.
Raphael Guerreiro, a second-half substitute, scored the only goal as the Argentine defence left him free to head home from close range in stoppage time. The lure of Ronaldo and Messi drew 41,233 fans, well short of a capacity crowd, at Manchester United's ground.
However, it was a poor game after the two star forwards were withdrawn. Portugal's Ronaldo, making only his second appearance at Old Trafford since his then-world record 80 million pounds move to Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009, and Argentina talisman Messi both showed glimpses of their class before they were taken off, The BBC reported.
Messi's industry and dribbling unsettled the Portugal defence early on and he came closest for his side, stabbing a shot against the post from a tight angle after a sharp one-two.
Ronaldo, who is favourite to beat his Barcelona rival to this year's Ballon d'Or award, drew cheers with a couple of slick touches before blasting a half-chance over the bar when teammate Danny was better placed.
There was a concerning moment for Manchester United fans when Nani, on loan at Sporting Lisbon from the Premier League club, caught Angel Di Maria, a 59.7 million pounds summer signing for United from Real, with a hefty challenge.
Neither side were able to create any decent openings without their key attackers, and some of the crowd were already heading home by the time Lorient full-back Guerreiro sneaked into a centre-forward position to nod in the only goal, the report added.
