Brave Co Down are undone as Manchester United set up SuperCup NI Premier Final clash with Southampton

Belfast Telegraph

3 days ago

Emmanuel Ziro's goal eight minutes into the second half secured a 1-0 win for United and broke the hearts of a brave County Down side, who were tough to break down and a match for the boys from Old Trafford in spells throughout the game.
It will be an all-English battle in the decider at Coleraine Showgrounds (8pm) after Southampton brushed off the challenge of Hamiilton Academicals, winning 4-1.
United have won the Premier tournament five times this century, as well as one Junior title and given that record, plus a previous history beyond the 21st century, there will be a level of expectation on them to triumph again.
'If these lads are going to play for Manchester United they are going to have to deal with pressure so it's really nice practice for them,' said United coach Tom Curtis.
'This tournament is a real test for the boys against really well organised and well motivated teams and it's a fantastic experience for everybody.'
United were patient in their approach throughout the game, happy to retain the ball, rotate possession and probe for openings when they may be found.
That meant there wasn't a lot for Down goalkeeper Max Sykes to do, particularly in the opening stages and also in general throughout the game.
In contrast Down were aggressive in trying to win the ball back and keen to attacking quickly when the did have the ball.
That contrast was evident when Down's Stephen Kelly had the first real chance of the game with a shot that sailed just over the bar before United could muster anything of note.
That quickly changed when Samuel O'Brien slipped a pass wide to Edson DeJonge-Seiros on the left and Sykes did well to save.
Kelly's pace was a major asset to Down when they got the chance to break and when he got a run on the United defence and there was a lucky escape for United when he fed Zak Magowa, only for the ball to get stuck under the striker's feet..
The longer the game went on the more likely it looked that one goal would settle it and that's how it turned out.
Abdoulaye Douka Nkoto, who lit up the tournament with two beautifully taken goals against Rangers on Tuesday night, again showed his quality with a superb through ball that split the defence, sending Ziro through one-on-one with Sykes and he rolled the ball home from 10 yards out.
It was hard on Down who had been strong, disciplined and had coped with much of what United had to offer up to that stage and they can be proud of the performances that got them to the Semi-Final stage.
George Robinson netted a first-half hat-trick in Southampton's victory over Hamilton. Archie Lovatt added a third as the Saints all but wrapped up the win by half time. Josh Carson netted a consolation for the Scots.
Intercontinental beat Rangers 2-1 to take their place in the Globe Final, where they will meet Ichifuna, who beat Mexican side Tigres 1-0.
Brighton won a penalty shoot-out against County Tyrone after a 0-0 draw to take their place in the Vase Final, where they will play County Londonderry after their 3-2 win against AFC Bournemouth.
County Antrim are in the Bowl Final after a 3-1 win over County Fermanagh and that will be a local affair after County Armagh won 2-1 against West Cork Academy.
County Armagh boss Darragh Peden says his boys are having fun all the way to the Junior Final
Darragh Peden's 'fun and enjoyment' approach has put County Armagh Juniors one step away from the ultimate joy at the SuperCup NI.
An all-county Final against County Antrim, who beat St Patrick's Athletic 3-0, awaits after a thrilling 5-4 win over Celtic and if the decider has even half the excitement then fans are in for a real treat.
Armagh conceded their first goal of the tournament just a minute into the game, but 25 minutes later they were 4-1 up after a terrific response.
Ethan Connolly benefited from Alfie Davidson's tenacity in chasing the ball down to equalise 10 minutes after falling behind, Will Davison swept home when the ball was delivered across the box five minutes later and it was Davidson himself who fired a thunderbolt from the edge of the box to make it 3-1.
Armagh's momentum built further when Eogham Mallon scored from the penalty spot after he had been fouled. Even after Flynn Watson got one back for Celtic, Davidson again riffled home a shot from distance to keep Armagh three goals to the good.
When Henry Atkinson's deflected shot found the net on the stroke of half-time and Zion Pullan headed home from a free kick early in the second-half to bring Celtic back to within one goal, the game really was on a knife edge.
Mallon missed from the spot when presented with a chance to finally kill off the Scottish giants' challenge and it was the attitude of his players throughout a testing final 20 minutes that impressed Peden as much as anything else.
'I set the camp up to make sure that for Juniors first of all it was going to be fun and enjoyment and a balance between hopefully winning some football matches, which brings enjoyment,' said Peden. 'I'm really pleased with the second-half because we were asked a real question against a top team and ground out a result. Sometimes that's what you need to do.
'At 1-0 down, they had to show character and they hadn't really been served that up because we hadn't conceded a goal previously, but good gutsy characters, passing tests and can be better.'
Antrim will now aim to emulate their counterparts from 2017 and 2018, who became the first county team to win the Junior competition, after their Premier team had done so in 2015.
Michael Mulholland continued his goalscoring streak with the opener in their win over St Pat's with another superb finish and two goals from Seanan Wright secured their passage to the Final.
Blackburn Rovers will contest the Globe decider after a 5-2 victory over Bohemians.
They will face County Down, who had a superb 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
County Tyrone reached the Vase Final with a 2-0 win over County Fermanagh and they will meet County Londonderry, who had a 2-1 win over West Ham United.
The Bowl decider will be an all-English affair between Crewe Alexandra and Charlton Athletic. Crewe beat Chicago City 3-2, while Charlton won 2-1 against Plymouth Argyle.
Linfield bidding to put last year's Minor Final heartache behind them after shocking Blackburn Rovers in last four
Linfield will aim to go one better than 2024 after completing a hugely dramatic comeback before beating Blackburn Rovers on penalties to reach the SuperCup NI Minor Final.
The Blues, who lost last year's decider to Crusaders, face Belfast rivals Cliftonville in Friday's Coleraine Showgrounds showpiece (11am), as the Reds too booked their place with a 7-6 shootout win over Shamrock Rovers after a 1-1 draw.
A display of character brought Linfield level after falling 2-0 down before winning 7-6 on penalties, with only one kick missed.
Divine Shitu shot across goal to put Blackburn ahead in the 22nd minute after Jonas Henderson had made a couple of impressive early saves. When Jacob Woods netted after a shot had come off the bar four minutes later, Blackburn looked in control.
Linfield have faced adversity throughout the tournament, losing both Lucas Moore and Aaron Duffy to broken arms early in the week before Ronan Laverty pulled out before kick-off, and reacted with great maturity.
They halved the deficit 11 minutes into the second period when Blackburn goalkeeper Jacob Lumor failed to deal with Cruz O'Neill's corner — the ball just about crossing the line — and that swung the momentum in Linfield's favour.
With just a couple of minutes to go, Olly Roney sent the ball deep into the Rovers half, O'Neill crossed low into the box and Oliver Prenter hit what was a deserved equaliser.
The composure of Prenter, O'Neill, Noah Clarke, Sam DeLargy Jake Booth, Zayne Leckey and Roney as they scored from the spot was impressive for such young players and when the unfortunate Teddy Simpson saw his kick saved superbly by Henderson, the celebrations began.
'That was heart, that was desire, that was energy and they showed real resilience because other teams against an opposition like that with real quality could lie down, get beaten by four or five goals,' said Linfield coach Scott Boyd.
'I think courage is the word that I'll use the rest of the day, because we were on the ropes first-half and they left everything out there.'
Coleraine and Leeds United will meet in the Final of the Globe competition after both had 3-0 Semi-Final wins, the Bannsiders beating Kilmarnock while Leeds defeated Ballymena United.
Loughgall were 5-0 winners over Crusaders to reach the Vase decider, where they will play Al Jazira Club, who defeated Shankill Juniors 3-1.
IDA Bermuda will take on Surf Select for the Bowl after a 1-0 win over Glenavon. The Americans were also 1-0 winners, against Ross County.
Shamrock Rovers beat Brighton 3-2 to win the Girls Premier tournament. Manchester United beat Aston Villa to win the Globe, while Northern Ireland were 4-1 winners over Surf Select in the Vase decider.
United were also victorious in the Girls Junior tournament, beating Surf Select 3-0. Larne won the Globe competition thanks to a 5-4 victory over Kilmarnock, while FC United were 5-1 winners over Crusaders to win the Vase.