Our under-19s were beaten 3-0 in their penultimate UEFA Youth League league phase game by Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday afternoon.
Goals from Gabriel Silva and Denilson Santos put Sporting ahead at the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo, and Rayhan Momade made it 3-0 in the second half.
WHAT HAPPENED
We had the first sight of goal when Ismeal Kabia played a progressive one-two with Andre Harriman-Annous on the counter-attack and won us a corner, but Elian Quesada-Thorn’s cross was punched away.
Sporting took the lead in the sixth minute as Josh Nichols gave the ball away and Manuel Mendonca found Silva, who dinked it over Lucas Martin Nygaard.
Brayden Clarke timed his challenge well to block a shot from Flavio Goncalves after Sporting won the ball high up the pitch moments later.
The following corner came out to Goncalves, whose volley was blocked for another set-piece. It went to Silva at the far post, who hit it back across goal and the ball came out to Santos, who hooked it wide.
Daniel Costa went down under a challenge from Ayden Heaven in the penalty area but the referee was happy with the contact our centre-back made with the ball.
However, Sporting doubled their lead when Silva nicked it off of Nichols and found Santos, who tapped it across the line for 2-0.
Henrique Arreiol had time and space top get a shot away just before the half-hour mark, which was blocked by Heaven. Kabia then broke down the right wing on the counter, shooting towards the near post but seeing his shot saved.
Ismail Oulad M’Hand shot straight at Gouveia from distance and Osman Kamara was then challenged by Eduardo Felicissimo to win us a corner, but Oulad M’Hand’s delivery was caught by the goalkeeper.
Kamara won the ball in the final third with half-time approaching and curled it towards the bottom right corner, but Miguel Goveia got down to his left to make the save.
Sporting had the ball in the back of the net again just before the half-time whistle was blown after Silva played it through to Goncalves, but the flag was raised for offside after he picked out the bottom right corner.
We almost got one back straight away at the start of the second half when Max Dowman played the ball over the top to Oulad M’Hand, who lifted it over the goalkeeper but missed the target.
In the 65th minute, Dowman dribbled to the edge of the area and won a free-kick. Oulad M’Hand curled it just wide of the top left corner, before Clarke found Dowman whose shot was deflected wide
We made our first change with just over 20 minutes to go as Kamara was replaced by Romari Forde.
Heaven had a go from long range with an effort that went straight at the goalkeeper, but Sporting increase their lead as Afonso Moreira races down the left and played it inside to Momade, who shot into the roof of the net for 3-0.
Sebastian Ferdinand came on for Harriman-Annous with nine minutes to go as our second change.
Oulad M’Hand poked the ball into the goalkeeper’s gloves from a narrow angle as we continued to search for a way through, followed by the introduction of Will Sweet and Ife Ibrahim in place of Kabia and Clarke.
WHAT IT MEANS
We’re 29th in the Youth League with three points from five games.
WHAT’S NEXT
Our UEFA Youth League league phase concludes with the visit of AS Monaco at Meadow Park for a 1pm kick-off on Wednesday, December 11.
As for our other academy sides, the under-21s host Brighton & Hove Albion in Borehamwood at 2pm on Sunday, December 1 and the under-18s welcome Fulham to Sobha Realty Training Centre for an 11am kick-off on Saturday, November 30.
LINE-UPS
Sporting Lisbon XI: Gouveia, Costa, Felicissimo, Dominguez, Santos, Lee (Mota 88), Momade (Joao Nascimento 88), Arreiol, Silva (Marques Martins 71), Mendonca (C), Goncalves (Moreira 67).
Substitutes (not used): Clara, Blopa, Sanha, Melo, Mendes.
Arsenal XI: Martin Nygaard, Nichols (C), Clarke (Ibrahim 88), Heaven, Quesada-Thorn, Dudziak, Dowman, Ismail Oulad M’Hand, Kabia (Sweet 88), Harriman-Annous (Ferdinand 81), Kamara (Forde 69).
Substitutes (not used): Ranson, Casey, Copley, Salmon, Julienne.
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