Manchester United’s u16s faced off against Intercontinental FA in a tough battle on Wednesday night for the top spot in their SuperCupNI group.
In a crucial match for United to progress to the semi-finals, the American team, part of the MLS academy system, posed a strong challenge for the young reds.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan from the beginning as United lost possession due to some sloppy passing at the back, allowing Intercontinental to score an easy goal with Zac Watson out of position just five minutes into the game.
Intercontinental came close to scoring again 5 minutes later, but Watson made a great save when they cut back into the box for a shot from 10 yards out.
Intercontinental, visibly the bigger side, pressed at a high tempo and proved to be a tough unit, unlike anything United had faced in the tournament so far.
Despite another scare from a long-range effort, Watson managed to keep the ball out this time.
Meanwhile, Bendito Mantato struggled to break free from his marker and only managed to create a chance just before half-time, but his shot went wide.
Right before the break, Intercontinental’s number 15 went on a brilliant solo run past two United defenders and scored a stunning goal to make it 0-2.
The second half saw United make an early substitution, bringing on Edward Ibrovic-Fletcher to add more attacking threat.
Ibrovic-Fletcher almost scored immediately with a shot that hit the post from 18 yards out.
His partnership with Mantato improved the team’s performance, but despite their efforts, United couldn’t complete the comeback as Intercontinental secured a deserved victory to top the group.
With this loss, United finished second in the group and will now face Hamilton Academical in the SCNI Globe semi-finals to determine the 5-8th place teams.
United Lineup: Watson, Helafu, Mills, Kukonki, Thorley, McCormack (Ibrovic-Fletcher 40), D. Nkoto, Mantato, B. Nkoto, Ajayi (Barbosa 46) (Brown 65), Bradbury
