a day ago
Kai Rooney's Manchester United defeat Rangers in front of bumper SuperCupNI crowd at Coleraine Showgrounds
Kai Rooney did swagger and sway past the Rangers defence, often at will, with some of his trickery and skills very reminiscent of his famous father Wayne.
As Manchester United beat Rangers 2-0 to move to the cusp of topping Group C of the Premier section, Kai was outshone by one of his Red Devils team-mates.
If this performance is anything to go by, the name Abdoulaye Douka Nkoto is one to watch out for in the future; his two second-half goals being just as spectacular as his acrobatic celebrations after he broke the deadlock early in the second-half.
Those who packed into the stand and filled the terraces will be keeping an eye out for him in the future.
The Rangers performance was again lit up by the lively Kyle Glasgow in midfield, but the best he could do on the night was a shot that was well-saved by the Manchester United goalkeeper.
Rooney did have a chance to add to the goal he scored on opening night against West Cork Academy, but when he stepped up to take the penalty that his initial shot helped win, Rangers stopper Sam Reid dived to his right to save.
Reid had conceded the penalty when he initially saved a low shot from Rooney, who had cut in from the right, with his dive towards the ball as it spilt from his grasp bringing down a United attacker as he tried to pounce on it.
Rooney's first involvement saw him pick up the ball on the right and jink inside, just like his father did many times at Old Trafford, then making robust challenges of the type that Wayne was known for as well.
It wasn't until the second-half of the match, though, that fans really got excited thanks to Nkoto.
Rangers Luca Rankin had just clipped the bar with a free-kick at one end when United's No.7 unleashed a thunderbolt from just outside the box and then celebrated in style with a couple of backflips more reminiscent of another United old boy, Portuguese winger Nani.
Rooney did fire an effort over the bar from close range after a low cross was driven in from the left — he had just a split second to take the shot — before that missed penalty midway through the second-half.
As it was, Nkoto still had more class to show when, just a couple of minutes from the end, he weaved his way through on the left before arrowing a shot just inside the far post from a tight angle.
The fans might have come hoping for a Rooney show, but it was Nkoto who provided the thrills and spills.
County Tyrone are next up for Manchester United, and they will go into that game with renewed confidence after beating West Cork Academy 1-0.
A 3-0 victory over 2024 winner Brighton has put County Down on course for the SuperCup Semi-Finals.
They face a derby against County Armagh, who had an exciting 2-2 draw with Intercontinental.
Hamilton Academical have put themselves into top spot in Group B thanks to a 4-0 win over AFC Bournemouth, and they now go up against County Fermanagh, who got their first point when drawing 3-3 with Tigres.
Southampton are likely to emerge as Group D winners after they defeated County Londonderry 2-0, and in the same group, County Antrim lost 3-0 to UAE visitors Ichifuna.
Junior
Blackburn Rovers Junior coach Daniel Stubberfield is using the famous names from the SuperCup NI's past to inspire his team as they seek to win this year's tournament.
In the future, it could be Ty Livesey who is doing that to the next generation after he scored his second hat-trick of the week when Rovers defeated County Tyrone 5-0.
The striker showed that there is much to his all-round game with three different types of finish, the best being a stunning free-kick that arrowed into the top corner.
The talented Charlie Taulty had put Blackburn into an early lead with a beautiful curling shot and the powerful Darnell Williams had added the third before Livesey netted his two late strikes to secure the match ball.
'We're really pleased with the start. I came last year and we really underperformed in the group,' said Stubberfield.
'We are here to win it. We have high hopes for this group of players. We think we've got a really strong group this year.
'We've got a lot of goals; the two games that we've played, you can see that. We've got a lad who's got two hat-tricks and must have a fighting chance of competing for the leading goalscorer trophy.
'We're very blessed as coaches, we've got a really good mix of players that should give them a chance of doing well in every game.
'You've only got to look at Facebook and see pictures or videos of David Beckham, Marcus Rashford and all these guys who have been here and had the experience that our boys are getting this week.
'For us to do that, that would be incredible for the club.
'We've won a tournament in Portugal previously that the club were really proud of and made a big deal of.
'There's a long way to go, but it would be a huge moment for the club if it was to happen. It's a very famous competition and we're really privileged to be here.'
County Armagh set up a Group A decider with Blackburn thanks to a fantastic 5-0 win of their own over Crewe Alexandra.
Alfie Davidson, Ryan Savage, Eoghan Mallon and Carter Walker all scored in the first 30 minutes of a superb performance.
County Antrim are on course to top Group B after they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 thanks to goals from Michael Mulholland and Noah Stewart, while County Londonderry drew 3-3 with Charlton Athletic.
Celtic are well-placed to take first place in Group C following a 4-1 win over Bohemians and they now face County Fermanagh, who were 4-0 winners against Chicago City.
A 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle keeps County Down's hopes of topping Group D alive, although they will have to beat West Ham United, who were 3-1 winners against St Patrick's Athletic.
Minor
Kieran O'Connor was beaming with pride after his Cliftonville Minor team booked their place in the Semi-Finals of the SuperCup NI, hailing their performance as one of the best he has seen from any team at Irish League level.
His praise was fully justified, too, as the Reds responded within two minutes of going behind against Surf Select before completing an impressive 6-2 win.
Keegan O'Connor, Rylan Perry, Aidan Green and Shea McCarthy to put Cliftonville in a comfortable position after Giovanni Reilly had opened the scoring.
Even after Moses Moshkovsky had given the American side some hope, McCarthy added a second before Ronan Smith completed the six-hit.
'Two wins out of two and mathematically in the draw for the Semi-Final, we have to be delighted and we're really looking forward to tomorrow now against Leeds,' said O'Connor.
'We have to be quietly confident. We have quality, we have heart and desire and you just don't know in tournament football.'
'Particularly the first-half, that's as good as I've seen from a local team in terms of the quality of the ball, their positioning and quality off the ball and moving the ball on a very sticky, slow pitch was fantastic.'
Loughgall Youth grabbed a last-minute 1-1 draw against English giants Leeds thanks to Daniel Farrell.
Shamrock Rovers moved to the brink of securing their passage to the Semi-Finals from Group A when they defeated Ballmena United 5-2, and Crusaders kept their hopes alive with a 3-0 success against Ross County.
Linfield will go head-to-head with Al Jazira Club for top spot in Group B after the Blues emerged 3-2 winners over Kilmarnock while Al Jazira won 3-1 against Glenavon.
Blackburn Rovers are favourites to win Group D after a 2-0 win against Coleraine and the Bannsiders will face IDA Bermuda, who beat Shankill Juniors 3-0, in a battle for second spot.
In the Girls Premier Section, Northern Ireland suffered a 2-1 defeat to Shamrock Rovers, while Manchester United defeated Northeast Rush 4-1. Brighton and Aston Villa are joint top of their group after a 2-2 draw.
In the Girls Junior Section, Manchester United claimed a resounding 7-1 win over FC United, Larne and Surf Select drew 2-2, and Crusaders had a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock.
Girls
It was another eventful day in the Girls' Sections of the Budget Energy SuperCupNI, with plenty of footballing talent on display.
After easing to a victory yesterday, hopes were high in the Premier section that Northern Ireland could have claimed a second win on the trot against Irish side Shamrock Rovers, but the League of Ireland outfit had other plans.
After an open start to the game at Monkstown where both sides tested the other in defence, it was Northern Ireland who opened the scoring in the eighth minute. Ruby Adair was the girl who broke down the right wing before firing an effort across the keeper from an acute angle that found its way into the net.
However, on 24 minutes the scores were back level. Kassie McLoughlin raced onto a long ball, running into the Northern Ireland box before tucking a superb finish into the bottom right-hand corner.
Just as the home team pushed for a winner 16 minutes into the second period, they were dealt a blow at the other end as Rovers grabbed a winner.
Matylda Stemaszlek drilled home from 10 yards after the Northern Ireland defence had cleared off the line from Lara Dallaghan to send the visiting support into widespread cheers around the ground.
Elsewhere in the Premier section Manchester United crushed Northeast Rush 4-1, while American side Surf Select ran out 2-0 winners against Irish team Finn Harps.
In the evening kick-off at Dixon Park in Ballyclare, Brighton and Aston Villa played out an enjoyable 2-2 draw in front of a crowd that enjoyed another dose of summer night football.
In the Junior section, there were more goals at Monkstown in the early kick-off with Manchester United sinking FC United 7-1. There were draws for two of the local sides, with Larne finishing 2-2 against Northeast Rush and Crusaders managing a 1-1 draw with Scottish side.
