United Review | Atletico Madrid in Stockholm | Pre season 2026

United 2 - 1 Atletico Madrid 

We made it two wins from three pre-season matches with an encouraging comeback victory over Atletico Madrid in the Snapdragon Cup.

Author | Lee Francis

The Spanish side made the brighter start and took the lead inside five minutes. Arnau Ortiz found space down the left and whipped a dangerous ball into the box that evaded everyone before sneaking inside the far post.

We came close to finding an equaliser when Mason Mount whipped an inviting cross towards the back post. Luke Shaw arrived unmarked and connected sweetly, but Jan Oblak reacted brilliantly to produce an excellent save.

Bryan Mbeumo got us back on level terms eight minutes into the second half, opening his pre-season account in the process. The forward then completed the turnaround 20 minutes later, arriving in the right place to finish from close range.

A few more changes followed in the closing stages and, although United were largely in control, there were a couple of slightly nervy moments as Morten Hjulmand and Rodrigo Mendoza both rattled the woodwork in quick succession.

Watch | Reaction from Michael Carrick

Even so, the Reds had done enough to get over the line in the Swedish capital, sealing the win and lifting the Snapdragon Cup for the third time in four years.

Mbeumo was also announced as the man of the match

Our No.19 is enjoying his second pre-season with the Reds, after arriving from Brentford last summer, with his strikes in Sweden his first goals of the summer.

He claimed the Man of the Match prize after topping a poll of Reds voting in the official United WhatsApp channel. Shea Lacey and Mason Mount were also in contention for the award.

The kid is United | Welcome to the first team JJ Gabriel 

It might only have been for the final eight minutes of this victory over Atletico Madrid, but it was the first opportunity to see how one of the most talked about young players in our  academy system dealt with the transition to the first team. 

Some promising touches followed and it has got some United fans intrigued about whether he will play some competitive matches this season. It was also clear that many first-team players are going to be guiding him through the upcoming season.