32 min Another half-chance for the home side as Berisha meets a low cross from Rose, but the midfielder just could not make proper contact. United are quickly on the counter with Zaha, who finds Welbeck, but again the danger is cleared for a corner. Giggs again whips the set piece into the box, but Beauchamp is on hand with a powerful header. End-to-end football in the last couple of moments.
34 min Not too much to report in terms of opportunities in the last few moments, but United remain a threat on the counter with the pace of Lingard, Zaha and Welbeck. Rafael takes matters into his own hands moments later, but his cross is cleared by Rose. Little over 10 minutes of the first period remaining in Sydney.
34 min GOAL! A-League All Stars 0-2 Manchester United (Welbeck)
35 min Lovely, lovely goal from the Premier League champions. It's Giggs with the assist as the Welshman pokes a low ball towards Welbeck, who simply slots into the bottom corner. That will do his confidence no harm at all. United lead 2-0 in the latter stages of the first half.
45 min+1HALF-TIME: A-League All Stars 0-2 Manchester United
11.26am So there we have it. The referee brings the first period to an end with United leading 2-0 courtesy of goals from Lingard and Welbeck. The home side have had a couple of half-chances, but it has been a half utterly dominated by the team in red. David Moyes will be impressed with what he has seen in the club's second match of their pre-season tour.
11.31 am There has been no sign of a Mexican wave in the first period, which is always a good indication of how entertaining a match has been. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Emerton has been the standout player for the A-League All Stars, while Broich has had a couple of bright moments. That said, the Australian outfit are lucky to only be two goals behind after 45 minutes of football.
11.36 pm There is a danger that the tempo will drop in the second period as both sides make changes, but as far as pre-season games go, this has been extremely entertaining thus far. It has been another impressive showing for Zaha, who has caused all sorts of problems with his pace and trickery, while that goal for Welbeck will do his confidence no harm at all.
46 min Here we go then. Both sets of players join us on the pitch for the second period. You just get the feeling that if United score a couple of early goals in this half then it could get very nasty very quickly for the Australian outfit. Bare with me while the changes from both sides are confirmed. Let's hope for more of the same in the second period as United get the half underway.
48 min Just the one change at the interval for United with young defender Michael Keane introduced in place of Rio Ferdinand. Three changes for the home side, meanwhile, with Billy Celski replacing Ben Miller, Michael Theo taking Ante Covic's place in goal and Josh Risdon slotting into the defence in place of Pedj Bojic. Right, now that is sorted we can get on with the second half.
50 min Half-chance for the home side in the opening stages of the half as Broich beats the offside trap before advancing on goal, but the number 11 can only fire his effort wide of the target. That could and perhaps should have been 2-1. Lingard attempts to find Zaha down the other end moments later, but the cross was always too long for the England international.
52 min CHANCE! Again it's really bright play from Zaha as the winger drives past Rose before finding Welbeck in the box, but Topor-Stanley just manages to make a challenge at the vital moment. Michael Keane has a chance from the resulting corner, but his header is high and wide of the target. Really bright seven minutes to the second period.
52 min GOAL! A-League All Stars 1-2 Manchester United (Berisha)
53 min The home side open their tally for the evening as Berisha turns on the edge of the box before stroking a low effort into the bottom corner. For me, Lindegaard just has to do better from that angle. Game on in Sydney. Safe to say David Moyes was not best pleased with that goal.
55 min GOAL! A-League All Stars 1-3 Manchester United (Lingard)
56 min Wow, that's some strike from Lingard. The young midfielder has his second of the evening as he collects possession on the edge of the box before thumping an effort into the top corner. He has done his chances of first-team selection no harm at all here. United regain their two-goal lead.
63 min Half-chance for Rafael this time as the Brazilian collects a pass from Welbeck before striking from close range, but it moves wide of the post. Changes for the home side as Mark Bridge and Rhyan Grant replace McGlinchey and Rose. Van Persie is also indeed introduced in place of Giggs, who has been impressive in the middle of the park.
65 min Evra takes a nasty one in a challenge with Rose, with the Frenchman holding his knee in distress. Fabio is being put through a warm-up on the side of the pitch, but for now Evra is continuing. The home side attack down the other end moments later with Grant, but his pass towards Broich is just too long.
67 min The changes do appear to have given the home side new-found belief with Bridge and Grant both causing problems in wide areas. A half-chance arrives for Broich outside the box, but his effort is blocked by Jones. United are down the other end with Lingard, but the move breaks down.
69 min Not too much to report in terms of opportunities in the last couple of moments with both sides guilty of losing possession in the final third. Just a reminder that Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea is on the bench this evening, but it is unlikely whether we will see him in the final 20 minutes or so. Still United lead 3-1 courtesy of a double from Lingard and a smart finish from Welbeck.
70 min GOAL! A-League All Stars 1-4 Manchester United (Welbeck)
71 min United have their fourth of the evening as Welbeck rises in the box before thumping a Van Persie corner into the back of the net. Wonderful header from the striker. That proves to be his last piece of action as Welbeck is replaced by Adnan Januzaj, while Anderson replaces Carrick.
73 min Double change for the home side as Broich and Berisha are replaced by David Williams and Paul Ifill. Another half-chance for United moments later as Lingard finds Evra in the box, but the Frenchman can only clip his cross straight into the arms of the goalkeeper. Little over 15 minutes of this pre-season fixture remaining.
75 min Zaha comes close to scoring his side's fifth of the evening as the winger bursts into the box, but Beauchamp is across to challenge at the final moment. The resulting corner is whipped into the box by Van Persie, but Lingard can only clip wide of the post. United are closing in on goal number five here.
77 min Another change for United as Evra is replaced by Fabio, who started the clash with Singha All Star XI last Saturday. Evra takes off the armband and hands it to Van Persie for the final 15 minutes. Just a reminder that following the completion of this match United travel to Japan to continue their pre-season tour.
79 min Half-chance for Fabio as the Brazilian collects possession on the left before attempting to bend an effort into the top corner, but Theo is on hand to collect with relative ease. Emerton attempts to find the run of Grant down the other end, but Jones is across to challenge. Little over 10 minutes of football remaining in Sydney.
82 min Not too much to report in terms of opportunities in the last couple of moments, but the home side have been able to quell some of the United pressure with a spell of possession. Januzaj attempts to force the issue for United with a low pass towards Lingard, but Theo is out to gather at the vital moment.
84 min Oh no, the Mexican wave has arrived! Another double change for the home side this evening with Connor Chapman and Marcelo Currusca replacing Emerton and Beauchamp. In fairness, the amount of changes has not dampened the tempo of this match with both sides continuing to force the issue in the final third. Little over five minutes of football remaining in Sydney.
86 min Anderson takes matters into his own hands moments later as the Brazilian collects possession outside the box before attempting to find the run of Zaha, but Boogard is across to clear at the vital moment. David Moyes is sure to be delighted by his side's performance in this match. A big positive has been the performance of Zaha.
87 min GOAL! A-League All Stars 1-5 Manchester United (Van Persie)
88 min Van Persie gets in on the act for United as the Dutchman collects a pass from Lingard before thumping a powerful effort into the back of the net. In truth, five goals does not flatter the Premier League champions. They have been that dominant against the Australian outfit.
90 min Chance for Zaha to add United's sixth as the winger collects a pass from Van Persie before striking an effort towards goal, but it just moves wide of the post. Another corner arrives for the English outfit moments later, but Bridge is on hand to make the clearance.
After a jam-packed month, Sydney’s ANZ Stadium will play host to one of the biggest football matches Australia has ever seen as Manchester United face the A-League All-Stars. Join us for live scores and commentary from
7.30pm AEST.
Since the confirmed announcement on May 31st, Australian football fans have eagerly awaited the arrival of the Red Devils since their last visit 14 years ago, which coincided with a two-match tour against the Australian national team.
The A-League All-Stars side, coached by Ange Postecoglou, had aimed to represent the best of the A-League with the team being preselected by the fans.
However due to the
EAFF East Asia Cup, club commitments and off-season fitness the vast majority of the original 35 selected have become unavailable.
Despite the loss of big name players such as Alessandro Del Piero, Shinji Ono, Archie Thompson and Mark Milligan, the A-League All-Stars side has still been represented very well.
The A-League All Stars are not alone in having lost some of their best players either.
Manchester’s Wayne Rooney had to venture back home after injuring himself in training – this may have to do with the circling rumours of his departure from Old Trafford, despite David Moyes’ wishes to keep England international.
Moyes’ side will welcome the return of stars Robin van Persie and David de Gea to the fold, the two having missed United’s 1-0 loss to Singha All-Stars last weekend.
All Stars inaugural captain Brett Emerton says the team isn’t nervous despite facing one of the most recognisable footballing teams in the world. He believes the pressure is on Manchester United as the post Sir Alex Ferguson era begins.
David Moyes, on the other hand, does not feel the pressure and is keen to give every player some game time with van Persie most likely to come on in the second half.
With a sold out stadium and a world class football team on Australian shores, this match is set-up to be a cracker. It’ll be a highly entertaining contest with a key focus to produce quality football.
While Manchester United are preparing for another English Premier League season and looking to expose their brand throughout Asia, the A-League All-Stars will be keen to show Australian football followers how far the development of the A-League has come in eight seasons.
Prediction:
Manchester United 2-1 A-League All-Stars
