Match report: Hong Kong, China 1 United 3
Manchester United were forced to come from behind but won the second game of our post-season tour, 3-1 against Hong Kong, China.
Juninho scored for the home side on a rare foray forward to hand them a half-time lead but, after the entire Reds XI was changed at the break, one of the substitutes took centre stage.
Chido Obi delivered his first goals at senior level to turn the friendly around, with the winner coming in the 82nd minute of a game played in driving rain at the Hong Kong Stadium.
Another former Arsenal rookie, Ayden Heaven, grabbed his maiden Reds goal to wrap things up in stoppage time.
FIRST HALF - REDS BEHIND AT THE BREAK
United looked capable of quickly breaking through, only for the opening goal to fail to materialise. Rasmus Hojlund took only four minutes to scrap his way into a shooting position, but fired too close to Tse Ka-wing, who saved with his left foot.
Casemiro did have the ball in the net, seconds later, but was offside when meeting a Bruno Fernandes free-kick with a diving header. Former Reds Academy player Ashley Westwood, the Hong Kong, China coach, shifted to a more defensive formation in a bid to stem the tide but Alejandro Garnacho beat Everton Camargo to force another stop out of Tse and young Shea Lacey was unable to convert a jabbed pull-back by the Argentina international.
Out of nowhere, Hong Kong, China took the lead with their first threatening attack. Juninho collected a through ball, shifted it past Godwill Kukonki and drilled a shot under Tom Heaton to open the scoring.
Casemiro and Lacey made way for Sekou Kone and Tyler Fletcher on 27 minutes and openings kept coming, and going, for Ruben's men. Hojlund and Kone failed to make decent content with half-chances. A big moment came on 36 minutes, when Fernandes, went one-on-one with Tse and, trying an outrageous rabona, the keeper managed to save with his boot. The skipper set Hojlund up from the rebound, only for the ball to slip under the Dane's foot and, when a shot finally came in, Jaydan Kamason's effort was blocked on the line.
Tyler Fredricson's header from a Fernandes corner was on target, but easy for Tse to gather, while Garnacho's wayward shot did not trouble the keeper.
SECOND HALF - OBI OVERTURNS IT
It took only five minutes for the Reds, with a completely changed XI, to get back onto level terms, as Obi scored with a slick finish. Kobbie Mainoo worked the ball towards Manuel Ugarte and he touched it into the youngster's path, with the centre-forward displaying neat footwork before firing home a low drive.
Tse was at full stretch to keep out a fierce drive by the lively Mason Mount, who then crossed well for Obi to send a header wide at the near post.
With 67 minutes on the clock, Mount's free-kick was begging for a finishing touch to be applied, but Ayden Heaven's header only took it across goal and Hong Kong, China survived another real scare.
Seconds later, the hosts produced a rare break of genuine threat but Lau Cheuk-hin's attempt was kept out impressively by Altay Bayindir.
Obi produced a similar effort to his goal, only to be thwarted on this occasion by a decent stop, and Mount's penalty appeals were turned down, when he was brought down inside the box, as United looked for a winner.
With only eight minutes of normal time remaining. Mount was again the orchestrator, with a clever chip into the area, and Obi's glancing header found the bottom corner for his second goal of the game.
Heaven got on the end of an Amad centre to nod a third, in the dying seconds, to provide a 3-1 scoreline United's performance merited.
It ensured a winning end to the post-season tour and signed off for the 2024/25 campaign on a positive note for the teenager.
MATCH DETAILS
Hong Kong, China XI: Tse Ka-wing; Yue Tze-Nam, Wang-kit Su, Jones; Fernando; Markies, Ngan Cheuk-pan, Camargo; Ho-chun Wong; Udebuluzor, Juninho.
Substitutes: Lucas, Benavides Medeiros, Chan Siu-kwan, Dudu, Gerbig, Helio, Ichikawa, Lau, Mahama, Ng, Stefan, Sun Ming-him, Tsang, Wong, Yu Wai-Lim.
Scorer: Juninho 19.
Booked: Tsang.
United: Heaton (Bayindir 46); Kukonki (Armer 46 (Thwaites 74)), Evans (Heaven 46), Fredricson (Munro 46); Kamason (Amad 46), Casemiro (Kone 27 (Ugarte 46), Fernandes (c) (Collyer 46 (Moorhouse 74)), Amass (Dorgu 46); Garnacho (Mainoo 46), Lacey (T. Fletcher 27 (Mount 46); Hojlund (Obi 46).
Scorers: Obi 50,82, Heaven 90+4.