Newcastle United U19s suffered a third consecutive UEFA Youth League defeat against Benfica.
Newcastle United academy coach Adam Lawrence felt the Magpies Under-19s lost their discipline and were too open as they suffered a 5-1 home defeat against Benfica in their latest UEFA Youth League outing.
The Portuguese side produced a ruthless display as forward Eduardo Fernandes hit a well-taken hat-trick and there was a goal apiece for Goncalo Moreira and Francisco Silva as they strolled to all three points at a drizzly Whitley Park. For the Magpies, there was a late consolation goal from substitute Joe Brayson and a penalty save from 16-year-old keeper George Mair that acted as the positives on a day when Lawrence felt his side failed to rise to the standards set by one of the favourites to win this season’s competition.
“We’ve not been good enough and conceded too many chances and too many goals in the second-half,” admitted the Magpies coach. “At half-time, we thought the game was fairly even in terms of us being in the game and having some good opportunities, particularly in the middle of the half. They’re a good side, they carry a threat but I felt from the second goal onwards we were too open, we weren’t disciplined enough and ultimately didn’t find a way to stay in the game.”
The Magpies grew into the game after Tiago Freitas and Goncalo Moriera went close inside the opening 15 minutes and started to cause some issues for the visitors defence. The lively Sean Neave went close from distance and both Kacey Wooster and Leo Shahar fired off target as Adam Lawrence’s side looked to make the most of a good spell on pressure. However, it was Benfica that struck first as they took lead with ten minutes to go int the first half with a deflected effort from man of the match Fernandes as his shot found its way beyond Magpies keeper George Mair.
That lead was almost doubled within ten minutes of the restart after the visitors were awarded a penalty for a Shahar foul on Jose Neto. Moriera stepped up to take the spot-kick but was denied by Mair as the England Under-17 international produced a stunning save low down to his left-hand side. There was to be no denying Benfica just minutes later as they doubled their lead with a sharp finish from striker Silva after Mair had parried a stinging drive from winger Federico Coletta.
Benfica stretched their lead to three midway through the half as Fernandes doubled his tally from close range by deflecting a shot from team-mate Rui Silva beyond the helpless Mair. A fourth goal followed with just under quarter of an hour remaining when the impressive Moreira beat three challenges before sending a powerful effort into the net via the far post. It was brief respite for United as their visitors fittingly had the final say when Fernandes completed his hat-trick in injury-time.
Difference
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The defeat means the young Magpies have emerged without a point from their opening three games in the competition and will now face a big challenge to progress beyond the league phase. The midway point of this stage of the competition has allowed Lawrence to reflect on a tough introduction to facing some high calibre opposition for his players.
He said: “The Barcelona game was a crazy game in terms of us bringing it back to three-two and feeling like we could have got something. The game at USG was different, we had a lot of the ball, we created good enough chances across the game but we didn’t score and got undone from a counter-attacking moment and a set-piece. It’s those moments again and then today, in terms of some of the individuals and the physicality of some of their players, that made a difference and we struggled with that. If you look at each individual game, there have been periods or parts where we’ve been at the level but then there’s been parts when we have fallen short so each game gives you a different set of problems.”
Newcastle United U19: Mair, Bailey (Finneran), Charlton, Munda, Shahar, Neave (Yildiz), Watts, Seung-soo (Brayson), Johnson, Wooster (Seldon), Alabi (Waddani) Subs: Dowell, Moran, Goodbrand. Bloomer
Benfica U19: D Ferreira, Banjaqui (Neves), R Silva, Oliveira, Neto, Quintas, Fernandes, Freitas (Figueiredo), F Silva (Afonso), Moreira, Coletta (Umeh) Subs: Lopes, Ndembi, G Ferreira, Manuel
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