SHANGHAI (AFP) - Former England captain David Beckham inspired the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 3-0 victory over Shanghai-Hong Kong here on Wednesday, creating the first goal for hat-trick hero Carlos Ruiz.

But the former England captain gave his club a scare, when he limped off with a right thigh injury in the 70th minute of the exhibition match.

"I got a kick in my leg in the first half, and I felt it start stiffening up during the second half, so obviously the manager decided to bring me off," Beckham said.

"It's only precautionary... it's nothing serious," revealed Beckham, adding that the "dead leg" would be fine in a couple of days.

Beckham has been fighting injuries since he left Real Madrid to join the North American US Major League Soccer club in July, playing only 310 minutes due to a lingering ankle problem and a sprained right knee.

The 32-year-old midfielder reported to the Galaxy camp with a swollen left ankle only to injure his knee in the Galaxy's SuperLiga final against Pachuca of Mexico last August.

During the match, Beckham saw little action, but he combined with Guatemalan international striker Ruiz, putting Galaxy ahead 1-0 in the closing moments of the first half.

Beckham, cheered on by more than 10,000 fans at the Shanghai Outdoor stadium whenever he touched the ball, took a long pass before connecting with Ruiz, who headed home.

It was Ruiz who was the star of the match though, finding the net twice more as he first tapped home Sean Franklin's right cross in the 79th minute, and then in the 84th broke through the middle alone to score.

"It's always nice to win the game but I think we played really well, we played some good football and scored some good goals," Beckham said after the game. "(Ruiz) got three goals which we're really happy with."

The mixed Shanghai-Hong Kong side looked dangerous throughout the game as striker Wang Jiayu repeatedly burst through the middle, but they were foiled time and again by a stingy Galaxy defence.

Beckham arrived in China's financial hub as part of the Galaxy's three-city Asian tour amid questions about his fitness.

England coach Fabio Capello, who Beckham enjoyed a fractious relationship with at Real Madrid, denied him his 100th cap for a friendly against Switzerland last month on the grounds that the superstar was not in good enough shape.

After arriving in Shanghai on Sunday, Beckham stressed that getting fit enough to play again for England was a top priority as he aims for the milestone that only five other Englishmen have achieved.

Galaxy, who begin their regular season in the United States at the end of March, will wrap up their Asian tour in Hong Kong with a match on March 9.

In the Galaxy's loss to K-League side FC Seoul on Saturday, Beckham played the full 90 minutes.

Beckham also visited China in 2003 and 2005 with Real Madrid on the club's high profile Asia tours.