Every summer, soccer news gets strange.
A team that struggled last season beats a storied club, and a name you have never heard of scores twice.
Yet the fans are not particularly happy. Why?
3-line summary
1. Manchester United beat Atlético, but it was a preseason match.
2. Lee Kang-in was not in the squad because he had not joined the team yet.
3. Preseason results do not carry over to league results.
August 1, Solna, Sweden
According to OSEN, Manchester United defeated Atlético Madrid 2-1 in Solna, Sweden, on August 1, Korean time.
They conceded first. In the fifth minute of the first half, Arnau Ortiz finished with his right foot from outside the penalty area following a corner kick.
Bryan Mbeumo turned it around. He equalized from the penalty spot in the eighth minute of the second half, then scored another in the 29th minute of the second half. He scored both goals himself and won the match.
But this was not a league match
Preseason refers to the weeks before the season begins. It is the period when players return from vacation and build fitness, managers test new tactics, and clubs make money from overseas tours.
Every match played during this time is a friendly. There are no points for winning and nothing to lose by losing.
The 2026-27 Premier League begins on August 22. Manchester United’s first match is away to Hull City. The scores appearing now are numbers recorded before then.
Four reasons you cannot take the score at face value
The substitution rules are different. In league matches, the number of substitutions is fixed, but in friendlies, it is determined by agreement between the two teams. It is common to replace all 11 players at halftime. If the 11 players in the first half and the 11 in the second half are effectively different teams, it becomes unclear what the score after 90 minutes proves.
Fitness is different from during the season. Preseason is not a period of resting from training while playing matches; it is a period of playing matches while training. Players running with heavy legs share the same grass with players whose condition has improved.
The team is not complete yet. The summer transfer window remains open for a while even after the season begins. Some players currently playing will not be there for the opener, while some who will play in the opener are not here now.
The objective is not victory. A manager may try a new formation for only 45 minutes before abandoning it, or place a particular player in an unfamiliar position. Many lineups are not put together to win.
The player who was not there that day
This match drew attention domestically for another reason.
Lee Kang-in left Paris Saint-Germain last month and joined Atlético Madrid. According to an MBC report, the contract is for five years and his shirt number is 7. Star News reported the transfer fee as €40 million including add-ons.
But he was not in the squad for this match. That was because he had not joined the team yet. His first domestic appearance is expected to be the match against Manchester City in Seoul.
The new No. 7 of one team was not on the field at all. That is one more reason why it is difficult to compare the strength of the two teams based on this score.
Instead, a player born in 2010 played for eight minutes
Manchester United had the opposite kind of development. Academy player JJ Gabriel came on late in the second half and played about eight minutes. He was born in 2010.
According to Sports Kyunghyang, he recorded 28 goals and six assists in 35 matches for Manchester United U-18 last season and was named U18 Premier League Player of the Year.
This kind of appearance shows preseason’s real purpose. No manager would bring on an academy player late in a match with points on the line. It is possible because no points are at stake.
So what should you watch?
There are things to watch besides the result.
| What to watch | Why |
|---|---|
| Where new signings play | It reveals the manager’s plan |
| Who plays 90 minutes | They are closer to starting the opener |
| Whether the same combination is repeated | A signal that experimentation is over |
| Players who get injured | They can shape the first month of the season |
Conversely, things you do not need to assign meaning to include the final score, a big win when you do not know which squad the opponent fielded, and goals scored after the 30th minute of the second half.
During last season, Rúben Amorim stepped down as Manchester United manager, Michael Carrick took over on an interim basis, and he was appointed permanently in May. This is Carrick’s first full season in charge. The combinations that solidify during this preseason will be its starting point.
The real score comes on August 22
Predicting the season from preseason results is like trying to guess a finishing time from the sound of an engine warming up.
The score away to Hull City on August 22 is the real one. Until then, these numbers are only for reference.
References
- OSEN 'Mbeumo Brace' Manchester United Come From Behind to Beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 Before Lee Kang-in’s Arrival
- Sports Kyunghyang Manchester United’s 15-Year-Old Prospect Gabriel Makes Eight-Minute Debut Against Atlético
- MBC Newsdesk Lee Kang-in Officially Joins Atlético Madrid: Five-Year Contract, No. 7 Shirt
- Star News Lee Kang-in to Atlético, Second-Highest Transfer Fee Ever for an Asian Player
- News1 Manchester United Officially Appoint Carrick: “Now Is the Time to Move Forward”
- Manchester United 2026/27 Premier League Fixtures
Gabriel’s age varies between 15 and 16 depending on the outlet, so it is given by birth year.