NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — David Beckham, hampered by a back problem, played a full match in the LA Galaxy’s 2-1 loss to the Australian A-League’s Newcastle Jets on Saturday.
Landon Donovan of the United States put the Galaxy ahead in the eighth minute.
Beckham, who in 2007 thrilled a sold-out former Olympic Stadium with a trademark free kick in a 5-3 loss to Sydney FC in his last trip Down Under, almost repeated the effort with a powerful shot on the stroke of halftime against Newcastle that sailed just across the face of goal.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star shrugged off the miss: “Some go in, some don’t. Maybe in another game.”
Sasho Petrovski and Labinot Haliti scored for Newcastle.
