Fulham under-21’s produced another excellent display to draw with Leyton Orient in their second Football League Trophy group game at Brisbane Road tonight – but suffered late heartache that saw Idris El Mizouni’s stoppage-time strike deny them an outright win before Imani Lanquedoc’s spot-kick rattled the woodwork in the shoot-out that followed.
Hayden Mullins’ youngsters, who drew their opening game in the competition at Portsmouth after playing the whole of the second half with ten men after George Okkas had been sent off, showed great resilience to fight back from falling behind to an early strike from former Manchester United midfielder Ethan Galbraith. Kristan Šekularac equalised in added time at the end of the first half when he seized on a defensive mistake before the outstanding Ollie O’Neill curled in a fabulous finish to give the Whites the lead on the hour.
It looked as if the visitors were going to hold on to a claim an impressive victory but the League One side levelled right at the last when substitute El Mizouni drove past Alex Borto from close range to level matters shortly after former AFC Wimbledon forward Joe Piggot had fired against the post. Lanquedoc’s failure from the spot – and Leyton Orient’s flawless five penalties – meant that Mullins’ men had to settle for two points from their first two games.
The hosts went ahead after Aaron Drinan intercepted a pass from Jonathan Esenga and played in Galbraith, who cleverly sold Borto a dummy before firing clinically home inside the penalty area. Dan Happe might have made it two but shot wide before O’Neill almost equalised with a fine free-kick that flew fractionally wide. There was a let off at the other end when the dangerous Drinan hit the base of the post from an acute angle before Matt Dibley-Dias forced a routine save from Sam Howes at the other end.
The Whites had been restricted to speculative shots as the first half drew to a close but Swiss youth international Šekularac seized on a poor pass out from the back to level with a deflected drive that trickled past goalkeeper Sam Howes. The hosts had the better chances at the start of the second period with Jordan Brown shooting tamely at Borto after latching onto a flick on and Theo Archibald shooting wide when well positioned shortly afterwards.
O’Neill, who has been in fine goalscoring form since returning to the under-21 side at the start of September, put the visitors ahead with a fabulous first-time finish into the far corner after Šekularac had found the Irish under-21 international in space on the left flank. Happe went close twice in sixty seconds as the O’s sought an immediate response before Piggot headed wide and then struck the woodwork in the first minute of stoppage time.
The substitute striker then flicked on a free-kick for El Mizouni to place a finish past Borto into the far corner and the hosts converted all five of their penalties in the ensuing shoot-out to claim the bonus point at the conclusion of an another enthralling contest.
LEYTON ORIENT (4-2-3-1): Howes; Hunt, Turns, Happe, Sweeney (Graham 66); Brown (Moncur 66), Sanders; Archibald (Pegrum 55), Obiero (El Mizouni 60), Galbraith; Drinan (Pigott 45). Subs (not used): Byrne, Beckles, Pegrum.
BOOKED: Brown.
GOALS: Galbraith (9), El Mizouni (90+6).
FULHAM UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): Borto; Tanton, Esenga (de Jesus 87), de Fougerolles, Araujo; Donnell, Dibley-Dias; Works (Lanquedoc 79), O’Neill, Šekularac; Loupalo-Bi (Pajaziti 62). Subs (not used): McNally, Amissah, Gordon, Osmand.
GOALS: Šekularac (45+2), O’Neill (60).
REFEREE: Darren Drysdale (Lincolnshire).
