Our under-18s kicked off their 2018/19 season with a 4-2 win over Aston Villa at London Colney on Saturday.
WHAT HAPPENED
Kwame Ampadu’s side displayed their attacking intent right from the off, and in the 10th minute they grabbed their reward through Flo Balogun, who raced in on goal and found the bottom right corner with a smart left-footed finish.
The early pressure continued and following some intricate link-up play on the edge of Villa’s box, Yunus Musah doubled our lead with a driven strike past Filip Marshall.
We dominated possession throughout the remainder of the first half and the opening stages of the second, but following a 10 minutes spell of complacency, Villa managed to get themselves back into the game.
Michael Tait latched onto a loose ball inside our box to half the deficit, before Colin Odutayo levelled the score with a cool finish past the onrushing Remy Mitchell.
But before the visitors could even think about pushing for a winner, Balogun charged into the box and squared the ball for Kido Taylor-Hart, who had the simple task of firing home at the back post.
Balogun had been a thorn in the side of Villa’s defence all afternoon, and his stoppage-time strike illustrated just that. With less than a minute left on the clock, our No 9 chased down a back pass and pounced on a mistake by Marshall to restore our two-goal advantage.
WHAT’S NEXT
Our under-18s must now prepare to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, August 18, in the U18 Premier League.
The game will be held at the Amex Elite Football Performance Centre, with kick-off taking place at 11am (UK time).
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