WELLINGTON, Dec 1: It was not bent, it was dead straight, but a goal from the penalty spot by David Beckham sealed an emphatic 4-1 win for the LA Galaxy in a friendly with the Wellington Phoenix on Saturday.

When Carlos Pavon was brought down in the box in the 76th minute, the former England captain stepped up and calmly struck the ball down the middle as Phoenix goal-keeper Glen moss dived to his right.

That was enough for the crowd of 32,000 who had turned up to see some magic from the 32-year-old. It is not often that fans start chanting the name of the visiting team’s captain as the match kicks off.

Beckham played the whole 90 minutes in a defensive midfield role, as he did against Sydney FC in Australia on Tuesday night.

Despite having a quiet night around the pitch, any hint of a deft touch from the former Manchester United player was enough to bring roars from the crowd.—Reuters