Goals from Louis Zecevic-John and Max Dowman saw Arsenal come from behind to beat Fulham’s under 18s at the Sobha Realty Training Centre yesterday afternoon.
Tom Wingate fired the young Whites in front ten minutes into the London derby, but the Gunners’ superior quality eventually told in the second half. The visitors began brightly with Wingate shooting just wide, Ruban Khan’s clever flick drawing a save from Jack Porter and debutant Tarrell Cavell testing the Arsenal goalkeeper at his near post.
Wingate made the visitors’ utter dominance count when he dispossessed an Arsenal defender and rolled an assured finish into the bottom corner. But Fulham eventually paid for their failure to extend their advantage. Cavell saw a shot blocked before Macauley Zepa sent a right-footed shot wastefully wide when well placed.
Dino Kaiser kept Fulham in the contest after the Gunners came roaring back before half time – making a magnificent save to prevent Zecevic-John from heading the hosts level. The Bosnian youth international denied Zecevic-John at the start of the second half too when the striker managed to shoot despite the close attentions of Luca Picotto. Wingate then failed to get a telling contact on a lovely ball from the full-back, swinging at fresh air inside the area.
Fifteen year-old Dowman was becoming much more influential and drove wide after dribbling into the Fulham box – which was a warning sign the away side failed to heed. Zecevic-John levelled from close range midway through the second half, burying the rebound once Josh Ogunnaike’s shot cannoned back off the post – and the equaliser transferred all the momentum to Arsenal.
Zecevic-John almost backheeled the Gunners into the lead from the acutest of angles and Fulham were now operating exclusively on the counter-attack. One brilliant break saw Cavell and Picotto combine with the full-back flighting a fine cross to the far post, but Zepa shot straight at Porter. Dowman broke Fulham’s hearts with ten minutes left when his fierce left-footed finish from the edge of the area left Kaiser with no chance – completing a spirited second half fightback from the hosts.
The under-18s will look to bounce back from this devastating defeat when they travel to Bodymoor Heath to take on Aston Villa on Saturday 5 April, with the match kicking off at 12 noon.
ARSENAL UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1): Porter, Clarke, Ogunnaike, Onyekachukwu, Chapman (Marciniak 56); Ibrahim, Murisa; Bailey-Joseph, Dowman, O’Neill (Hashi 56); Zecevic-John. Subs (not used): Ranson, Ismail, Kuczynski.
BOOKED: Clarke, Ogunnaike.
GOALS: Zecevic-John (67), Dowman (80).
FULHAM UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1):Â Kaiser; Benchaita, Picotto, Cooke, Slade; Khan (Taylor 83), Chingwaro; Zepa, Cavell, Evans; Wingate (Dair 63). Subs (not used):Â Mayer, Faux, Schutter.
BOOKED: Slade.
GOAL: Wingate (10).
REFEREE: Harry Wood.
