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U21s: United 2 Athletic 1
Wednesday 24 September 2025 20:50
Manchester United’s Under-21s came from behind to defeat Athletic Club at Old Trafford in our opening game of the 2025/26 Premier League International Cup.
After Asier Hierro’s converted an 11th-minute free-kick for the visitors, the young Reds had to work hard to find openings against an organised Athletic side.
Substitute Gabriele Biancheri provided the inspiration, with a driving run down the right-wing and a cut-back to James Scanlon, who provided a smart, first-time finish.
Biancheri then netted an injury-time winner from Jack Fletcher’s cross.
Travis Binnion’s United side will face Anderlecht (Leigh Sports Village) and Borussia Dortmund (Old Trafford) in December, before welcoming Sporting in January.
FIRST HALF
United’s intentions were clear from the whistle: play with pace and intensity. Athletic took some moments to settle, with one loose pass at the back well-intercepted by right-winger Bendito Mantato. Unable to find sufficient space for a shot, Mantato shunted it wide to captain Jacob Devaney, whose attempt was blocked.
Despite that quick start, further chances were hard to come by. Instead, on one of their first probes forward, Athletic justly earned a free-kick on the area’s edge. From a completely central position, Asier Hierro cleverly curled a low shot around the wall and into the bottom right corner, where United goalkeeper Will Murdock was unable to reach.
Murdock made two saves soon after, as Athletic enjoyed a more dominant spell. The first was straight at him, from right-back Daniel Perez, who had gone marauding foward as the visitors won possession in United’s half. Four minutes later, Murdock was at full reach to tip Gaizka Alboniga-Menor’s left-footed shot from 12 yards out around the right post.
A lovely fizzed pass from Devaney set James Scanlon free shortly before the half-hour mark, but Scanlon couldn’t progress into the Athletic box. It was then that momentum swung, with United re-asserting dominance without stretching the Basques enough to find a opening of real note.
Javi Sola’s soft curler at the other end was saved comfortably by Murdock to close out the half.
SECOND HALF
Once again, United controlled the opening stages of the half, but Athletic earned the first opportunity, pressing Jayce Fitzgerald as he tried to control Murdock’s pass out. Half-time substitute Unax Urzaiz faced Murdock up, but shot wide of the right post.
The young Reds stabilised, as we did in the first half, and enjoyed another spell of possession around the Athletic area, but every cross was cleared well.
A quadruple substitution immediately brought some verve to United’s play, with a neat dummy from Shea Lacey and a fine run from Amir Ibragimov earning a corner as the latter’s pull-back was blocked by goalkeeper Iker Galindo.
Fellow sub Gabriele Biancheri soon created the equaliser, eating up ground down the right before cutting back to Scanlon, who checked his run nicely before a neat left-footed first-time finish.
Biancheri had a shot of his own blocked four minutes later, with Jack Fletcher curling wide shortly after, as Binnion’s side began to build pressure in the closing stages.
Scanlon headed across a good ball over the top from substitute Finley McAllister, but Biancheri couldn’t quite reach to turn it home. A United break then finished with a fizzed cross from Kamason, but again, Athletic goalkeeper Galindo was proactive in stepping off his line to parry away.
United should have won it with mere seconds of normal time remaining, when Shea Lacey’s blocked shot fell to Scanlon, but the Gibraltar international couldn’t bring it inside the right post.
Instead, it fell to Biancheri to seal the winner, as he poked home off the post – and potentially the goalkeeper’s back – in injury time, from Fletcher’s cross.
MATCH DETAILS
United: Murdock; Kamason, Bennett, Munro (McAllister 61), J. Fletcher, Devaney (c), Mantato, Thwaites (Lacey 61), Musa (Biancheri 61), Fitzgerald (Ibragimov 61), Scanlon.
Unused subs: Heath; Armer, Obi.
Goals: Scanlon 68, Biancheri 90+3 | Hierro 11.
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Wednesday 24 September 2025 20:50
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