George Okkas, Ollie O’Neill and Aaron Loupalo-Bi scored the goals as a youthful Fulham under 21s side beat Feyenoord 3-1 to get their Premier League International Cup campaign off to a winning start at a wet Motspur Park last night.
Hayden Mullins gave some of the promising under-18 talent a chance to step up an age-group level against continental opposition as he rotated his squad in the midst of a busy schedule. Brad de Jesus made his first start at under-21 level alongside Callum Osmand, who was rewarded for a number of quality cameos off the bench. Promising winger Lemar Gordon also started an under-21 game for the first time after some superb showings for Ali Melloul’s under-18 outfit and perhaps predictably it was the visitors who settled first.
Teenage centre forward Nesto Groen had the Dutch giants’ first effort at the goal, swerving a shot over Alex Borto’s bar after darting dangerously inside. But the Whites replied in the perfect manner, taking the lead from their first serious attack in the second minute. Feyenoord goalkeeper Mannou Berger pushed away captain O’Neill’s drive, but Cypriot international George Okkas was quickest to the rebound and somehow squeezed his shot in from an acute angle.
Imani Lanquedoc, in a rich vein of form after opening the scoring against Manchester United in the PL2 on Friday night, almost made it two after spinning in the area but saw his well-struck shot blocked by Milan Hokke. Feyenoord were a real threat on the counter with Delano van Der Heijden driving into space before shooting over and Sem Valk heading powerfully wide at the far post just before half-time.
The hosts were on the front foot after the interval and O’Neill perhaps should have doubled their lead instead firing wide having been teed up by Lanquedoc after a surging run from the midfielder. The Irish under-21 international didn’t take long to make amends, however, sending substitute goalkeeper Matéo Husselin the wrong way from the penalty spot after referee Stephen Parkinson penalised a cynical trip in the box.
The second goal ushered in some of the most fluent football of the evening from Fulham. After Gordon had frightened the Feyenoord defence with his blistering pace, O’Neill almost scored a sensational long-range strike but his audacious effort flew fractionally wide. The away side still put together moments of quality and could have got a foothold in the contest when Amadou-David Sanyang surged into the area and pulled the trigger from a tight angle but his finish ruffled the side netting.
England under-19 international Loupalo-Bi wrapped up all three points twelve minutes after replacing Osmand. He turned his man magnificently inside the area and lashed in a left-footed finish from seven yards out. Borto was denied a clean sheet by a fantastic free-kick from wing-back van Der Heijden with seven minutes to play, which at least gave a plucky Feyenoord side a consolation to take home with them.
FULHAM UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): Borto; de Jesus, Esenga, Williams, Araujo (Slade 81); Okkas, Donnell; Gordon, O’Neill (Šekularac 67), Lanquedoc (Gofford 81); Osmand (Loupalo-Bi 67). Subs (not used): Allen, Tabares, Ali Wahid.
BOOKED: Šekularac, Donnell.
GOALS: Okkas (2), O’Neill (pen 50), Loupalo-Bi (79).
FEYENOORD UNDER 23s (3-4-2-1): Berger (Husselin 45); Breinberg, Valk, Hokke (Candelaria 62); van der Heijden, Essanoussi, Pusic (van der Sluijs 62), Zaal; Sanyang (Schens 71), Arnaud; Groen (Rais 62).
GOAL: van der Heijden (87).
REFEREE: Stephen Parkinson.
