Malawian sees red at old trafford
United Kingdom-based Malawian sensational striker Henri Kumwenda on Wednesday made history when he had a debut match at the famous Old Trafford, home to Premiership giants Manchester United.
However, the 18-year-old’s dream trip ended badly as he was given marching orders in his club Leeds United Under-18’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup fifth round.
Dillon Hoogewerf scored the lone goal after the striker guided a clever header into the far corner from a Reece Devine cross just after the hour mark, according to Yorkshire Evening Post.
Seconds later, Kumwenda worsened matters worse for his club after being shown a second yellow card following a challenge on Shola Shoretire.
“A bad minute was compounded for the visitors as Kumwenda received his marching orders just seconds after the restart for a shove on halfway having earlier picked up a yellow for a pullback,” the Yorkshire Evening Post reported.
The suspension came after Kumwenda also wasted Leeds’ closest chance of the game as he headed narrowly wide with just the keeper to beat.
The red card marked the turning point of the game as United went on to deny Leeds victory in their first ever visit to Old Trafford, disappointing about 1 500 supporters that had made the historic trip.
“The complexion of the tie had changed to some degree, but Leeds still posed a threat and Reds’ skipper Teden Mengi and his fellow defenders had to remain on their guard as full time loomed,” Yorkshire Evening Post further reported.
Reacting to the loss, Kumwenda said he was disappointed.
“Gutted about the result, but massive thanks to the travelling fans who were a different class. We (sic) go again,” the striker, who left Malawi for UK as a toddler, tweeted yesterday.
The Red Devils reached this stage of the competition with 2-0 wins over Lincoln City and Norwich City, while Leeds overcame Yorkshire rivals Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday, the latter on penalties.
United will now meet Wigan Athletic at home in the last eight, after the Latics thrashed Birmingham City 4-0.
Kumwenda signed two-year scholarship forms with Leeds in April 2018, and a pro-deal could be in the offing before long.
His recent scoring record has attracted the attention of Premeirship outfits, including Liverpool.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) recently said it would try to persuade Kumwenda to play for Malawi national football team. However, the player has said he is currently concetrating on his youth football career and not thinking of international football.
