Manchester United embarrassed by Asean All-Stars, as fans see how far idols have fallen
Second-half goal from Maung Maung Lwin inflicts more misery on embattled English giants, more than 70,000 watch hosts’ shock victory
The only sense of urgency Manchester United showed in Kuala Lumpur last night was on the white-knuckle ride from their W Hotel accommodation to Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
It is indicative of the clout United still carry, nonetheless, that they brought the Malaysian capital to a halt, necessitating a police escort to avoid being late for their own party.
How it fell flat for the English visitors, who suffered a 1-0 defeat by Asean All-Stars, after Maung Maung Lwin, a winger from Myanmar, flashed a 71st-minute drive past substitute keeper Tom Heaton to heap further misery on embattled United.
Very few of a crowd officially counted at 72,550 were here to watch the home team, whose starting 11 was represented by six of the region’s 10 nations.
In the opening half, a din greeted the All-Stars’ every incursion into their opponents’ penalty area, regardless, but it was hard to tell if that was out of local loyalty, or because of the adoration that United keeper Andre Onana clearly commands in these parts.
Not long after Onana raised the roof with a fairly routine first-half save down to his left from Sandro Reyes, the Filipino midfielder, Ruben Amorim reached for his substitutes’ bench.