Tuesday marked the second day of this year’s SuperCupNI.
Manchester United were back in action in the Boys Premier, Girls Premier and Girls Junior age groups.
Boys Premier (u16s) vs Rangers
Rangers were undoubtedly United’s toughest opponents in the group stage and it was a cagey affair from the off.
The Scottish side threatened first, forcing a big save from United’s Darlington Osuchukwu in goal.
Bassirou Nkoto looked to add to his outrageous goal on Day 1 of the SuperCupNI when he drove into the box but he dragged his shot wide of the left post.
The score remained deadlocked at 0-0 going into the break which saw United make three substitutions to introduce Connor Laurie, Emmanuel Ziro, and Jaice Dore at the beginning of the second half.
Rangers’ Kyle Glasgow caused United havoc with his intricate dribbling but United were sparked to life shortly after Rangers hit the crossbar.
Substitute Ziro played the ball to Douka Nkoto on the right side of the box who took one touch before smashing it into the top left corner.
Kai Rooney’s penalty was saved as his father Wayne Rooney watched on in the stands but it was of no consequence as Douka Nkoto added his second shortly after to secure a 2-0 win for United.
United now take on County Tyrone in the final group match on Wednesday where just a draw is needed to ensure they top the group and advance.
Girls Junior (u14s) vs FC United
After dismantling Larne 6-1 on the opening day, the young Reds went one better with a 7-1 trouncing of FC United from the USA.
The result puts United in a firm position heading into their final group match against Belfast side Crusaders.
United currently top the six-team group as the only team with six points from two games. A top two finish is required for a birth in the cup finals.
Girls Premier (u16s) vs Northeast Rush
Suffering a narrow defeat to Shamrock Rovers in their opening match, United’s u16s girls bounced back with a convincing 4-1 win over Northeast Rush, a select squad of players from New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut in the USA.
Amongst the goals was a spectacular long range effort from Madison Vernon which was out of the reach of the keeper as it hit the net.
United take on Northern Ireland in the final group stage match, they will need a win and for results to go their way for any chance to advance to the SuperCupNI final.
Featured image Christopher Furlong via Getty Images
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Colm Murphy
A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years.
