After a hard campaign that Manchester United themselves admitted was forgettable, perhaps we should not expect too much in a friendly match.
However, even by their own declining standards, Man United could not have expected that they would suffer a 0-1 loss to the ASEAN All-Stars at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
Despite having to face much more famous players, the hastily formed ASEAN All-Stars team still won thanks to a goal in the 71st minute by Maung Mawin. The Myanmar player made no mistake when calmly taking a neat finish after a pass from Adrian Segecic.
With the global fan base of the "Red Devils", traveling around the world between seasons to serve millions of international fans is always a big problem. And they have not been to Malaysia since 2009.
At that time, Man United was still enjoying a glorious era under Sir Alex Ferguson. Although they are no longer at their peak, the fact that more than 70,000 people have come to Bukit Jalil shows that they are still an iconic team.
Of course, Man United are in Malaysia for the fans, but also for a large sum of money.
When the post-season tour in Asia was announced in April this year, Man United CEO Omar Berrada stated on the club's official website: "The important thing is that the matches on the tour bring in significant additional revenue, giving the club stronger, allowing us to continue to invest in success on the pitch."
Their lightning trip, which ended with the upcoming match against Hong Kong (China), is expected to help M.U earn 8 million pounds after a week of efforts.
As promised, Man United brought as many stars as possible. And while they may not be doing their best, that only makes the surprising failure more surprising.
Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Andre Onana, Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot, Rasmus Hojlund and Patrick Dorgu all started. The changes after the break saw Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho come on.
The appearance of these 3 players led to a loud cheer at the beginning of the second half. In fact, that cheering was mainly to praise Fernandes' daring in his attempt to pass the ball in a break-even style to Garnacho. However, that was almost the only highlight they could create.
Nguyen Hai Long of Vietnam, who Suffering for Ayden Heaven on Man United's side in the first half, is still a promising talent with only 10 appearances for the national team.
Meanwhile, Timor-Leste's Joao Pedro represents a country currently ranked 197th by FIFA.
If Thai star Chanathip Songkrasin or any Indonesian player playing in Europe joins, it will be an even more difficult challenge for Man United.
Of course, the result in a friendly match does not say much. In fact, this is a rare opportunity for ASEAN All-Stars players to interact with Europe's top stars.
When everyone was staying on the pitch after the break, some ASEAN All-Stars players went straight to receive souvenirs from Man United.
The Thai national team player duo Worachit Kanitsribampen and Patiwat Khammai even helped each other take photos with Bruno Fernandes. However, that only happened after the final whistle blew.
Before that, for 90 minutes, the ASEAN All-Stars only thought about the match and the victory.
So while United will leave Kuala Lumpur content with the evening they have given to fans in Malaysia and the accompanying bonuses, Southeast Asian football will leave Bukit Jalil with an unforgettable victory.
"The ASEAN All-Stars players had a great match against the world's top team like Man United. We only had 2 days of training to prepare for this match but the players played together as if they had practiced together for a long time.
The weather was hot but the fans came to Bukit Jalil Stadium in large numbers, we were really touched by the support of the fans. Winning against Man United was a great experience for me and the players. I am also very happy to be leading players from all over Southeast Asia" - ASEAN All-Stars coach Kim Sang-sik said after the match.
