Manchester United continued their mid-season training camp in Spain with a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis on Saturday.
Having lost 4-2 to Cadiz in their first friendly on Wednesday, the Premier League club ended up on the losing side again, courtesy of Nabil Fekir's goal early in the second half at Estadio Benito Villamarin.
It was a United side comprising a mix of senior players absent from the World Cup and youth players, with the likes of David De Gea, Anthony Martial, and Anthony Elanga playing alongside youngsters including Alejandro Garnacho, who recently broke into the first team, Kobbie Mainoo, and Rhys Bennett.
Assessing the performances, Andy Mitten has provided his player ratings below.
Manchester United player ratings v Real Betis
David De Gea – 6. Quiet first half – though the ball hit his post - against a side who are sixth in La Liga and have only lost once at home all season, picking up 16 of 18 points in their Europa League group. Off at half time.
Aaron Wan Bissaka – 7. Much better than against Cadiz, stemming the threat of the experienced Betis attack. Almost 90 minutes was just what he needed – and against a decent side too. Spanish sides have eliminated United from European competition in each of the last five seasons.
Victor Lindelof – 7. The most experienced defender, he organised the defence well and instructed Menghi and then Murray, but the defence was split by the experienced Beticos. Hit a long ball to set up Emeran. Solid positioning kept the score at 1-0.
Teden Menghi – N/A. Pulled up in pain on 15 minutes holding his hamstring. Had to be stretchered off. Looked distraught as Betis fans applauded him.
Brandon Williams – 6. Flew into an early challenge that was anything but friendly. Blocked a shot off the line on five. Carried on going in hard on opponents. Lucky not to be booked.
Zidane Iqbal – 6. Impressive in Cadiz, deserved his start in Seville. Pushed up as a ‘10’ for the second half and improved but playing against far quicker opponents than he’s used to for United’s second string.
Scott McTominay – 6. Captain and more influential than against Cadiz, though he was also up against far better players than Cadiz. Couple of wayward shots.
Isak Hansen-Aaroen – 5. A late call up in place of Donny Van de Beek, he blocked a 10th minute shot. Beautiful ball to Garnacho on 14. Lost the ball in midfield, leading to Betis attacking and hitting the post on 20. Ball got stuck under his feet 10 minutes later in front of goal.
Alejandro Garnacho – 7. Started on the left – as opposed to on the right in Cadiz. Received a fine ball from Williams and crossed it. Twice had the beating of the experienced Montoya and got into the right positions. Final ball needed to be better from the whole team.
Anthony Elanga – 5. Shot went wide of the far post on 30. Lively one or twice on the right in front of 250 away fans.
Anthony Martial – 6. Set up McTominay on 38. Curled shot just wide on 42 in a positive spell for United. Better in Cadiz on Wednesday.
SUBS: Rhys Bennett (Mengi 18') – 7. The Mancunian was captain of the FA Youth Cup winning side last season. Did well.
Shola Shoretire (Martial 45') – 6. His introduction left United without an obvious centre forward. Conceded a foul which led to Betis’ opener. Touch wasn’t as sharp as it could be.
Kobbie Mainoo (Hansen 45') – 7. Challenged well, but up against a top side controlling the game. A positive experience for United’s young players including the Mancunian. Doing well.
Sam Murray (Williams 45') – 6. Handed the task of stopping the skilful Luiz Henrique.
Tom Heaton (De Gea 45') – 8. Conceded within four minutes as Betis’ experience told. Got back as Iglesias tried to chip him from the halfway line. Fine saves on 64 and 65 as Betis pushed for a second. And again on 69 from a Miranda header. Kept the score down.
Joe Hugill (Elanga 62') – 5. Went straight to a central forward role. Lacking football this season. At 19, he needs to be playing and scoring. Did little.
Noam Emeran (Garnacho 62') – 6. The French forward, 20, ran onto a Lindelof ball in front of goal but couldn’t fully control it.
Marc Jurado (Wan Bissaka 81') – N.A. Another youth cup winner given minutes, the right back was up and down the line.
Charlie Savage (Iqbal 81') – N/A. Passed around well. The results were not positive for United in Spain, but the experience for the young players was.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vault%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBilal%20Abou-Diab%20and%20Sami%20Abdul%20Hadi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELicensed%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Global%20Market%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EInvestment%20and%20wealth%20advisory%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOutliers%20VC%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E14%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
