A double from Brad de Jesus – including a dramatic late header – ensured Fulham under 21’s took a point from a pulsating Premier League International Cup opener against PSV Eindhoven at Motspur Park this evening.
Hayden Mullins’ side came back from 3-0 and 4-2 down to earn a 4-4 draw with de Jesus nodding in from a deep corner five minutes into added time. Fulham’s miraculous recovery from such a deficit owed much to the fighting spirit and resolve within a talented group of young players after they were outplayed by their dynamic Dutch opposition for the first seventy minutes.
The hosts made an encouraging start with Ollie Gofford driving over after bright approach play from Terrell Works, but PSV quickly began to dictate terms. Couhaib Driouech should have done better when he found himself clean through on Alex Borto’s goal, but the winger chipped both the American goalkeeper and the crossbar with a disappointing finish.
The visitors did hit the front in the seventeenth minute when attacking midfielder Emir Bars completed a slick passing move after being teed up delightfully by  Jevon Simons just outside the box. Jon Esenga almost equalised with a trademark free-kick but the centre half’s effort flew over the bar before Fulham escaped further punishment after Joe Ndala was brought down in the box and Driouech drilled the ensuing penalty against the crossbar.
PSV doubled their advantage right on the stroke of half time, however, with Isaac Babadi lifted a lovely ball over a square Fulham back line and Bars scored his second of the evening after accelerating in on Borto. They looked to have sealed all three points when Marcus Younis tapped home from close range after further fine wing play from Driouech from a clever counter-attack.
But Fulham didn’t wallow in their disappointment. They grabbed a goal back within three minutes with de Jesus, who had only been on the field for ten minutes, nodding home after being left unattended at a corner and belief surged through the young Whites when Callum Osmand headed in a cross from Kristian Sekularac a minute later to make it 3-2. Babadi restored PSV’s two-goal cushion within sixty seconds with an unerring low finish from Driouech’s ball but the drama was far from finished. The Dutch youngsters’ suffered a serious blow when Madi Monamay was shown a second yellow card for bringing down Osmand as Fulham launched a promising break – and the Whites poured forward in search of salvation.
Substitute Farhaan Ali Wahid set up a grandstand finale when he fired home from Jayden Quashie’s pass with four minutes left and, deep into stoppage time, de Jesus headed home another corner to earn the home side a well-deserved point.
FULHAM UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): Borto; Gofford (de Jesus 62), Slade, Esenga, de Fougerolles; Nwoko (Zepa 76), Donnell; Works (Osmand 62), Gordon (Ali Wahid 76), Sekularac; Loupalo-Bi (Quashie 76). Subs (not used): McNally, Nsasi.
BOOKED: Sekularac, de Fougerolles.
GOALS: de Jesus (73, 90+5), Osmand (75), Ali Wahid (86).
JONG PSV EINDHOVEN (4-2-3-1): Smolenaars; van de Blaak (Dagasan 72), Bresser, Obispo (Younis 45), van den Heuvel; Land, Babadi; Ndala (Monomay 45), Driouech, Bars (Gilbert 62); Simons (Verkooijen 72). Subs (not used): van de Riet, Heylen.
BOOKED: Bresser, Land, Monamay.
SENT OFF: Monamay.
GOALS: Bars (17, 45), Younis (70), Babadi (76).
REFEREE: Jacob Viera.
