KUALA LUMPUR: It wasn’t the scoreline anyone expected, but the Asean All-Stars defeated English giants Manchester United 1-0 to win the Maybank Challenge Cup at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday (May 28).
In front of 72,550 cheering fans, the All-Stars were first to set the tone as they started sending shots towards United keeper Andre Onana.
Vietnam’s Nguyen Hai Long stood out with his ferocious attempts, but Onana made sure not to let anything slip past him.
Philippines player Sandro Reyes had a chance too, but his on-target shot was denied by Onana in the 26th minute.
United head coach Ruben Amorim made changes before the first half, putting in Daniel Armer, Shea Lacey, Sekou Kone and Jaydan Kamason.
Kobbie Mainoo then turned things up as he sent a shot towards All-Stars goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai in the 33rd minute, but the Thai goalie denied the attempt.
Mainoo turned up the heat again four minutes later, but his shot was cleared off the line as the All-Stars kept denying United’s attempts to break the deadlock.
The All-Stars brought in Bounphachan Bounkong and Mohd Adib Abdul Raop before half-time, but the score remained 0-0.
The second half saw United fans cheer as star player Bruno Fernandes was brought on, along with Alejandro Garnacho.
Fernandes’ volley attempt in the 58th minute had fans holding their breath, but Khammai was quick to deny the attempt.
But then, right at the 70-minute mark, Myanmar’s national team captain Maung Maung Lwin sent a shot flying past United substitute keeper Thomas Heaton, which gave the All-Stars the lead.
From then on, the All-Stars shifted fully to defending their half and kept denying United’s opportunities until the final whistle blew.
The fixture was part of United’s post-season tour, and they will be heading to Hong Kong next to take on the national team on Friday (May 30).
