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More history made at Croke Park as Man Utd beat Leeds
Manchester United beat Leeds United on penalties after a 1-1 friendly draw at a sold-out Croke Park in Dublin, marking the first match there between two English clubs. The occasion underlined the stadium’s growing role beyond Gaelic games, following a summer of major sporting events and the relaxation of rules previously restricting ‘foreign’ sports.
Joshua Zirkzee put United ahead after 16 minutes before Brenden Aaronson equalised for Leeds. A crowd of 82,300 watched the match, Croke Park’s first football fixture in nine years and only its third since Rule 42 was amended; Noussair Mazraoui scored the decisive penalty, while substitute goalkeeper Dermot Mee also contributed to United’s shootout win.
In short
- Manchester United beat Leeds on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
- Croke Park hosted its first English-club match.
- More than 82,000 fans attended in Dublin.
Explained simply
Croke Park is a large stadium in Dublin and the main ground for Gaelic games, including Gaelic football and hurling. For many years, rules restricted the use of Gaelic Athletic Association grounds for sports seen as “foreign”, such as football and rugby. Those restrictions were later relaxed.
The ground has since hosted a wider range of sporting events, though football matches there remain uncommon. Manchester United and Leeds United are English clubs with a long-standing rivalry, so their meeting brought English club football to a stadium best known for Irish games.