Manchester United U16s took on Skouted FC on Tuesday night at the SuperCupNI after opening the tournament with a 4-0 win over County Fermanagh.
It took just five minutes for United to take the lead when Skouted FC attempted to play out from the back but Bassirou Nkoto was able to steal the ball before finishing low past the keeper which was the start of an impressive performance from the 13-year-old midfielder.
The grassroots side founded by United academy graduate Febian Brandy posed a threat though, forcing a good save from Zac Watson from long range just before the 10-minute mark.
Connor Thorley was then put to the test when Skouted’s right winger broke free in behind but Thorley was able to recover with a perfectly-timed slide tackle.
Into the 27th minute, Junior Brown came close with a long range strike of his own which looked destined for the top left corner only to be tipped over the bar.
A sensational bit of skill from Skouted’s right winger opened up the space for him to attack the box and cut the ball back which saw a shot cannon off Douka Nkoto’s arm from close range which was harshly adjudged to be a penalty. Skouted dispatched it to draw level heading into the break after 35 minutes.
Four minutes into the second half, a mistake at the back from Godwill Kukonki gave the ball away and Skouted pounced to take a 2-1 lead against the run of play.
Bendito Mantato began to find his feet in the second half with dangerous movement down the right wing, and one such attack saw him get taken down inside the box as he pushed the ball out of play but the ref waved away his protests for a spot kick.
In the 50th minute, Mantato broke down the right wing again before delivering a cutback pass which was deflected to Neithan Barbosa at the back post but Barbosa wasn’t able to apply enough power in his shot to trouble the keeper.
Two minutes later, Bassirou Nkoto’s shot was blocked into the path of Barbosa who squared across goal for Louie Bradbury to tap in and draw the match level once again.
Manchester United u16s drew 2-2 with Skouted FC at SuperCupNI
⚽️ Bassirou Nkoto
⚽️ Louie Bradburypic.twitter.com/1s94S3bFlA— Manchester United Academy (@RedYouthUnited) July 23, 2024
United were the team on top and they were desperately chasing the winner but a series of fouls from Skouted saw them lose momentum.
The chances came United’s way late on though with Bassirou and Edward Ibrovic-Fletcher unable to take advantage and apply the finish.
The match finished 2-2 which sees United in second place going into the final group stage match against Intercontinental FA where a win is required if they want to advance to the SuperCupNI semi-finals.
United: Watson, Ngwashi (Helafu 40), Mills, Kukonki, Thorley, McCormack (Ibrovic-Fletcher 68), D. Nkoto, Mantato, B. Nkoto, Brown (Barbosa 49), Bradbury
Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.
