Match: Sunderland vs Manchester United

[Admin]

Good evening and welcome one and all to this our final friendly game before the start of the new season! Both teams are desperate for a win after Sunderland's draw with Liverpool and United's loss to Leeds, so that alone should make for a great match at the Stadium of Light. Let's take you now to highlights of the game.

Kicking us off tonight is...

• Sunderland.[dice=10](6)
  
• Manchester United.[dice=10](6)
  

As the scores are even the home side will start us off.

12 minutes: It's been surprisingly cautious from both teams in the opening few minutes, particularly from Manchester United who are happy passing the ball around their back five and midfield. On the ball now is...

• Sunderland's Ogara.[dice=10](7)
  
• United's Obregon.[dice=10](3)
  
• Sunderland's Silva.[dice=10](6)
  
• United's Primm.[dice=10](5)
  

It's Ogara on the ball, and he needs to quickly make a decision here while he's in possession...

• Ogara dribbles with the ball.[dice=10](7)
  
• Ogara passes to a winger.[dice=10](7)
  
• Ogara passes to a striker.[dice=10](2)
  
• Obregon attempts the tackle.[dice=10](5)
  

Obregon appears to be caught in two minds, he dribbles forwards a little more and attempts to guide the pass past Bilic on its way to Barham!

Ogara passing(10) +[dice=10](7)
Bilich heading(7) +[dice=10](8)

The pass makes it to its intended target! Barham has the ball and is either going to take on the defender and attempt a cross from the byline or cross it into the penalty area quickly!

• Barham takes on the defender.[dice=10](4)
  
• Barham crosses from a deep position.[dice=10](5)
  

Barham crosses from 40 yards out, and both strikers make their run...

• The referee flags for offside.[dice=10](4)
  
• The referee's flag stays down.[dice=10](1)
  

The move on goal is cut short by the referee's assistant, one of the strikers is offside. Nice idea from Barham, but ultimately I think it was Kipp who made his run a little too early.

20 minutes: Sunderland are looking more of a threat twenty minutes into the game, and the balls gone out for a throw in to...

• Sunderland.[dice=10](2)
  
• United.[dice=10](6)
  

It's gone in United's favour which the Sunderland faithful aren't too happy about, and Primm picks up the ball on the touchline and prepares for a throw.

• Primm throws it short to Obregon.[dice=10](4)
  
• Primm launches it long to Mallard.[dice=10](5)
  

It's a long throw over to Mallard, and he's being challenged on the edge of the penalty area by Hedges to win the header...

Mallard composure(3) + heading(8) + [dice=10]

Hedges jumping(5) + heading(3) + [dice=10]
With a total of 20 Mallard is easily able to rise above Hedges and win the header, but where's he going to aim the ball?

• Mallard heads the ball down to his own feet.[dice=10](2)
  
• Mallard heads the ball on to Biles.[dice=10](8)
  

It's a great header with a score of 8 to Biles who's poised to strike just behind van der Vaart who needs to match that score to get his head to it...[dice=10](10)
van der Vaart does brilliantly to get the ball away, great defending from the Dutchman!

34 minutes: There's been an even amount of chances in the game, and on the ball is defender...

• Hedges for Sunderland.[dice=10](9)
  
• Steere for United.[dice=10](10)
  
• van der Vaart for Sunderland.[dice=10](9)
  
• Newall for United.[dice=10](10)
  

It's Steere and Newall exchanging the ball between them, and eventually Newall decides to...

• Pass the ball to Obregon.[dice=10](7)
  
• Hit the ball long towards the penalty area.[dice=10](5)
  
• Take too long deciding and comes under pressure from Zurich.[dice=10](8)
  

He's taken too long on the ball! Here comes Zurich to try and steal the ball!

Zurich pace(10) + technique(5) + composure(7) +[dice=10](5)

Newall pace(9) + technique(6) + composure(2) + [dice=10](9)

Zurich has 27! Newall has 26! The defender's made a horrid mistake and Zurich is completely clear on goal!!!

Zurich dribbling(10) + composure(7) + finishing(8) + [dice=10](10)

Harper alertness(6) + composure(7) + shot stopping(4) +[dice=10](9)

It's a massive score of 35 for Zurich! Harper gets a 26 and the can't get down quick enough to stop the ball from going through his legs! ZURICH HAS SCORED FOR SUNDERLAND!!! The deadlock has been broken and Harper is going mad at Newall for his awful, awful mistake! One-nil to Sunderland!

41 minutes: Manchester United need to try and get back into this before half time, where I'm sure Lewis Saffin will have a few choice words to say to his defenders. On the ball now is a...

• Sunderland player.[dice=10](8)
  
• Manchester United player.[dice=10](8)
  

Nobody's really taken charge of the ball here, Silva and Obregon are going to battle for it in the middle of the pitch though...

Silva technique(9) + first touch(10) + [dice=10](2)

Obregon technique(2) + first touch(3) + [dice=10](9)

Despite the contrasting dice rolls there was only one winner here, and Silva is off one one of his mesmerising runs and has plenty of time to decide how to get the ball past the five man defence of Manchester United!

• Silva takes on the defence himself.[dice=10](9)
  
• Silva waits for a defender to come to him.[dice=10](9)
  
• Silva attempts a through ball into the penalty area.[dice=10](9)
  

It looks like Silva's going for it on his own, but not before Muro is baited off his line! He needs to make this tackle otherwise there isn't much stopping Silva from taking a shot!

Silva dribbling(8) + technique(9) + [dice=10](1)

Muro composure(4) + tackling(5) + [dice=10](4)

With a total of 18 to 14 Silva shows his skill and plays his way straight past Muro, and he lines up a shot from just inside the penalty area that Newall is attempting to get something on!

Silva technique(9) + finishing (7) + [dice=10](5)

Newall jumping(7) + heading (8) + [dice=10](7)

Newall gets a 22 to just stop Silva's shot of 21! The ball could go anywhere!

• The ball falls to Zurich who takes a quick shot.[dice=10](3)
  
• The ball falls to Holt who gets it clear.[dice=10](7)
  
• The ball goes out for a corner.[dice=10](1)
  
• The ball is removed from danger thanks to Newall's header.[dice=10](3)
  

It's Holt who belts the ball upfield, and the five man defence of United proved too much for Silva to penetrate on his own! (don't be childish and laugh at that)

45 minutes: The referee blows for half time, and it's Sunderland who have their noses out in front with the score at 1-0 to the home side.

Second half coming up soon.[rand=5562546714673430153492079898964748987808894034627027486322326781387]

[Admin]

Welcome back everyone, both managers have had a chance to either encourage or scream at their players during the half time break. United's Newall in particular would have been a talking point, his horror decision is what led to the first goal but a fantastic header most likely stopped the score from doubling in favour of Sunderland. Mixed feeling for him by his manager I'm sure. United are kicking off the second half now, and we're underway.

46th minute: On the ball now in preparation for the first attack of the second half is...

• A Sunderland player.[dice=10](9)
  
• A Liverpool player.[dice=10](6)
  
• Nobody, it's there for the taking.[dice=10](5)
  

The home team have the ball much to the fans' delight, and making his way down the wing is Carroll on the right side. What's he going to do here?

• Carroll dribbles infield and attempts the through ball to Zurich.[dice=10](3)
  
• Carroll dribbles up the wing and tries to cross from the byline.[dice=10](5)
  
• Steere comes across to try and dispossess Carroll.[dice=10](9)
  

Steere is able to anticipate the opening he needs to make the challenge, and a good tackle will put United in a great position for a counter attacking move!

Carroll pace(5) + dribbling(9) + technique(10) + [dice=10](8)

Steere pace(6) + composure(8) + tackling(5) + [dice=10](6)

It's a great score of 32 from the winger who easily gets past Steere with a score of 25, and the next obstacle in Holt is letting him run but staying with him as he attempts to block the cross...

Carroll pace(5) + technique(10) + crossing(9) + [dice=10]

Holt pace(9) + jumping(1) + heading(8) + [dice=10]

Carroll gets a 26 and Holt gets 25, he's literally millimetres away from getting his head to that! The cross is aimed at Zurich, and both he and Muro go up for it!

Zurich composure(7) + heading(3) + [dice=10](4)
Muro jumping(4) + heading(3) + [dice=10](4)

Zurich wins it with a total of 14 to 11, and now it's up to the goalkeeper to get something on it...

Harper composure(7) + shot stopping(4) + [dice=10](3)
Harper just gets his hands to it, and again the ball could go anywhere!

• The ball drops to Kipp who hits the rebound.[dice=10](3)
  
• The ball drops to Newall who clears.[dice=10](9)
  
• The ball goes out for a corner kick.[dice=10](2)
  

And again it's Newall who's there to get the ball away from danger, and the United defence have really taken it to another level since the first goal!

58 minutes: The ball's worked its way back to the...

• Sunderland goalkeeper.[dice=10](3)
  
• United goalkeeper.[dice=10](5)
  

Harper's on the ball, and he hits it forwards. Obregon claims it, and Ogara...

• Fouls him.[dice=10](5)
  
• Attempts a fair challenge.[dice=10](5)
  

The referee isn't sure so he looks to his linesman...

• Who confirms it's a foul.[dice=10](5)
  
• Who confirms it's a fair challenge.[dice=10](3)
  

It's a foul, free kick to United in a fairly good position. It's too far out for Mallard to shoot, but a good free kick could cause Sunderland some problems. Mallard takes it quickly and...

• Biles breaks free from his marker.[dice=10](10)
  
• Biles and van der Vaart contest it.[dice=10](8)
  
• The ball isn't dealt with by anyone and it goes for a goal kick.[dice=10](8)
  

There's massive confusion in the penalty area as the Sunderland players can't tell who's supposed to be marking Biles, and he's completely lost everyone and is free to shoot!

Biles free kick bonus(7) + first touch(1) + finishing(9) + [dice=10](7)

Smith alertness(8) + shot stopping(8) + [dice=10](9)

Biles gets a 24 and Smith a 25!! What a save from Craig Smith!

70 minutes: It's still one-nil to Sunderland and both teams are going for it here, Sunderland to likely put this game out of reach of their opposition and United to claw back into this thing. On the ball now is...

• Sunderland's Silva.[dice=10](4)
  
• United's Obregon.[dice=10](9)
  
• Sunderland's Barham.[dice=10](5)
  
• United's Bilic.[dice=10](9)
  

Obregon and Bilic use a one-two move to get the ball forwards, and it's going to be...

• Obregon going forwards with the ball down the middle.[dice=10](3)
  
• Bilic going forwards with the ball down the wing.[dice=10](5)
  

It's going to be Bilic here, and he's going to try and cross the ball in to Mallard who's making a run forwards. Swaney's got across to try and stop that from happening though...

Bilic pace(10) + dribbling(6) + crossing(2) + [dice=10](5)

Swaney pace(6) + composure(8) + tackling(9) + [dice=10](7)

Swaney's total of 30 allows him to take the ball from Bilic as he lined up the cross with his score of 23, and can Swaney see the potential for a counter attacking move?

• Yes.[dice=10](8)
  
• No.[dice=10](4)
  

Yes he can, Swaney quickly passes it to Barham and the winger and he sprints as fast as he can up the wing with Bilic still miles up the pitch! What's he going to do here?

• Barham attempts a through ball to Kipp.[dice=10](8)
  
• Barham continues down the wing.[dice=10](2)
  
• Barham passes in-field to Silva.[dice=10](3)
  

It's a great looking pass to Kipp, but can he stay onside?

• The referee flags for offside.[dice=10](7)
  
• The referee keeps his flag down.[dice=10](3)
  

And again the referee puts a stop to a Sunderland attacking move with an offside decision, and Roy Keane is not happy about that decision!

82 minutes: This could well be the last chance of the game for one of these two teams, and the ball is contested between Sivla of Sunderland and Primm of Manchester United.

Ogara pace(10) + technique(10) + [dice=10](7)

Primm pace(10) + technique(2) + [dice=10](8)

PrimM's lack of technique on that occasion let him down, and Ogara is away here! What's he going to do?

• Ogara runs at the defence.[dice=10](2)
  
• Ogara passes the ball wide.[dice=10](6)
  
• Ogara passes to Kipp.[dice=10](7)
  

The pass it to Kipp, who isn't taking any chances and stays well onside, inviting Steere to charge in for the tackle...

• Steere fouls Kipp.[dice=10](3)
  
• Steere attempts a fair challenge.[dice=10](10)
  

It's going to be a fair sliding challenge from Steere...

Kipp first touch(9) + composure(3) + [dice=10](10)

Steere technique(8) + tackling(5) + [dice=10](10)

With a score of 23 to 22 it's a fine tackle from Lance Steere, and even Kipp admires that one! What a performance from the United defence since the first goal, it'll be a shame for them to lose this game!

90 minutes: We're just about into injury time, and is there one more chance for an attack from either side?

• Yes, to Sunderland.[dice=10](10)
  
• Yes, to United.[dice=10](9)
  
• No.[dice=10](8)
  

There is time for one more attack from Sunderland, and it's going to be...

• Silva running with the ball.[dice=10](6)
  
• Ogara running with the ball.[dice=10](6)
  
• Barham running on the ball.[dice=10](2)
  
• Carroll running on the ball.[dice=10](6)
  

The two men in the center and the right winger are linking up beautifully to get the ball forward while there's still time, and it's going to be Silva who takes charge and makes the decision to...

• Pass wide.[dice=10](1)
  
• Run at the defenders.[dice=10](5)
  
• Shoot from distance.[dice=10](5)
  

He seems caught in two minds and shoots quickly, straight at the Muro! Did it hit him on the arm?

• Yes, free kick to Sunderland.[dice=10](2)
  
• No, play continues.[dice=10](2)
  

It's undecided, but it doesn't matter anyway - the referee has blown for full time! Despite being on the losing side you have to give credit for Manchester United almost getting back into this game, but just as much praise needs to go to Sunderland for getting a vital win.

Final Score:

Sunderland AFC 1 - 0 Manchester United

36' Zurich[rand=8542487506332191244441977693839244682812716805719999785506044108]

[Jose Mourinho]

Uh, what an anti-climax! A win is a win though and Sunderland still looking good.

[[Shad]Arsene Wenger[Moss]]

Nice match Assman!! I hope I can get a match by tomoz i am too busy during the week

[Admin]

Heh, yeah Jose, not quite the ending I'm sure everyone was hoping for.

The league starts tomorrow Shad and you're already in a match against Perth United. You'll find your team sheet topic here.

[Roy Keane]

Hurrah!

Chuffed to bits with that win, though I thought the second half would have goals written all over it

Nice work again Assassin

[Admin]

Thanks Roy, and I also thought there would be more goals after Newall's blunder to get you the first goal. They really found their feet after that though, the five man defence really worked well in my opinion.

[[Man]Lewis Saffin[United]]

Great match, Assy.

Roy, that was a lucky win ...joking, you outplayed my team. We look weak though