Roma 2-3 Manchester United: Clinton nets winner for Red Devils in thrilling W7F clash | OneFootball

Manchester United snuck past AS Roma to claim a 2-3 win in their opening match of the World Sevens Football tournament on Wednesday.

The Red Devils leapt into a two-goal lead in Estoril but found themselves pegged back by their Italian opponents when Manuela Giugliano scored either side of the break – but Grace Clinton was on hand to bag the winner with 10 minutes remaining.

Marc Skinner’s side will face Benfica and PSG on Thursday as they try to secure a place in Friday’s final four.

As it happened

The Red Devils started well in Estoril but were left frustrated as they struggled to find the back of the net, with Ella Toone firing over the crossbar and dragging a shot wide inside the opening five minutes in Portugal.

But United’s dominance paid dividends in the 12th minute when Celin Bizet arrived in the box to turn home from close range, picking up the pieces after Grace Clinton’s initial strike was denied by Camelia Caesar.

Toone made amends for her earlier misses moments later, curling a stunning strike past the goalkeeper from a corner – but Roma bounced back almost immediately, with Manuela Giugliano storming forwards from the restart and picking out the top corner.

The 27-year-old doubled her personal tally just three minutes into the second half with a finish just as impressive as her first, restoring parity for AS Roma. It was short-lived, though, with Clinton remaining remarkably composed as she dinked the goalkeeper to place United back in the lead.

The lineups

ASR: Ceasar, Haavi, Cissoko, Kühl, Troelsgaard, Viens, Pilgrim