Kristiansund vs Man United: Red Devils net late winner to maintain pre-season form
- Juan Mata's strike was the difference as United sunk Kristiansund 1-0 in Norway
- The Spaniard slotted home from the penalty spot after being brought down in the dangerous area
- The win was United's fifth in five pre-season matches
Juan Mata late penalty goal helped Manchester United pip Norwegian outfit Kristiansund 1-0 on Tuesday evening to maintain their pre-season winning run.
The victory comes after 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur as the Old Trafford dwellers made two changes in their starting XI with new arrivals David James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka listed.
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Manchester United enjoyed possession of the ball in the early stages of the game, but were wasteful in front of goal, thanks to Kristiansund's solid defence.
The Norwegian side nevertheless had the first chance to net the opener through Amidou Diop, but his strike towards goal in the 20th minute failed to hit target.
The Red Devils were finding it tough to break down the Eastern Europeans, who adopted more tactful play.
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Three minutes to the end of the first 45 minutes, Scott McTominay attempted a decent shot towards goal, but could not find the back of the net as scores remained 0-0 into the break.
In the 52nd minute, Kristiansund had their best chance to the break the deadlock, but Sondre Sorli’s header failed to reach intended target.
Marcus Rashford carved out an opening for United six minutes later, but Kristiansund shot-stopper Andreas Vaikla was spot on to make a finger-tip stop save to deny the England international.
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Two minutes after Rashford's goal attempt, Man United brought on an all new starting eleven with the likes of Paul Pogba and Sergio Romero listed.
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Manchester United finally netted the winner in added time, with Mata slotting home a spot-kick after he was fouled by Viakla in the box.
The Red Devils will now tackle AC Milan ahead of their Premier League opener on Sunday, August 11, against Chelsea.
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