Nepal’s upcoming opponent, Hong Kong, are ranked 153rd in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking. However, they were a headache for 13-time Premier League winner Manchester United when the English giant travelled to Asia for a friendly as part of their post-season tour.

Played at the Hong Kong Stadium on Friday, Manchester United defeated the hosts by a score of 3-1. Meanwhile, it was Hong Kong that scored first.

Playing defensive throughout the game, Hong Kong were finding chances when United made mistakes. The first came in the 19th minute when Juninho scored in what was Hong Kong’s first shot on target. Juninho beat Tom Heaton in the near post.

And it was not a poor lineup of United against which Hong Kong scored. Ruben Amorim had Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund in the Playing XI while Mason Mount, Amad Diallo, Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo came later as substitutes.

It was substitute Chido Obi who gave United the relief in the 50th minute. He completed the comeback, scoring his and the team’s second in the 82nd. While the additional four minutes were coming to an end after 90 minutes of regulation time, Ayden Heaven made it 3-1.

It was the first loss for Hong Kong after an eight-game unbeaten run; seven wins and one draw. Since their 3-0 win over Cambodia on October 15, 2024, Hong Kong had not been defeated until United’s intervention.

Manchester United reached Hong Kong after facing ASEAN All Stars at Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 28. Amorim’s side, who finished 15th in the Premier League this season and lost the chance to the Champions League against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final, have been touring Asia to connect with the fans.

United last played in the region back in 2013, defeating local side Kitchee 5-2 at the Hong Kong Stadium.

Currently, Hong Kong are coached by Ashley Westwood, who started his career in United’s Academy, before representing the likes of Bradford City, Sheffield Wednesday and Wrexham. Westwood then managed several sides in the Indian and Afghanistan national teams.

And on June 10, Westwood’s team will face India in the Third Round of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Similarly, Nepal will face Laos on June 10 in the same event. Nonetheless, before the Asian Cup qualifiers, Nepal and Hong Kong, on June 5, will play an international friendly at the same venue where Manchester United won on Friday.

The players who represented Hong Kong were among the 37-member preliminary squad, which the Hong Kong Football Association revealed on May 12 for the friendly against Nepal and the qualifiers against India.