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Sport

26th Jul 2015

David Villa shows his class on Andrea Pirlo’s MLS debut

Tom Victor

Andrea Pirlo made his MLS debut for New York City, but it was David Villa who stole the show with a fantastic opening goal.

The former Barcelona forward prepared for the upcoming All-Star game against Tottenham with a stunning first touch and finish against Orlando City, and added a second after half-time as New York won a thrilling game 5-3.

Pirlo showed some nice touches after coming off the bench, but the Villa stole centre-stage with a strike worthy of a world champion.

Orlando’s Canadian striker Cyle Larin bounced back well from his recent contender for miss of the season by scoring a hat-trick, but still ended up on the losing side.

It is the second time in a month that New York have played out an eight-goal thriller, following their 4-4 draw with Toronto FC.

They remain towards the bottom of the MLS standings, but a fully-fit Pirlo and Frank Lampard could yet help lift them into the end-of-season playoffs.