It was a somewhat unusual situation for Arsenal U19s on Wednesday as their elimination from the UEFA Youth League was confirmed yet there were still plenty of positives to take from proceedings.
Having lost their first four games in the competition, Arsenal knew that a win against Bayern Munich might not have been sufficient to prevent elimination.
That was what transpired but Arsenal’s 4-2 victory was still the first win for the academy above U16 level since September.
Max Dowman maintained his run of scoring in each of his appearances at youth level this season as he got a brace with his second goal being of a remarkably high standard.
The 15-year-old is certainly above youth football now but it remains to be seen just how often he will be involved with the first-team in the remainder of the season.
Ceadach O’Neill also got on the scoresheet, as did schoolboy forward Kyran Thompson, who performed very well overall.
There was also a notable moment late on as 13-year-old Luis Munoz, who can play as a midfielder or forward, was brought on to become the youngest ever player in UEFA Youth League history.
Fellow schoolboys Emerson Nwaneri (brother of Ethan) and Angelinou Pedro also came on for their U19 debuts, while Jack Porter had earlier saved a penalty on what was certainly a very eventful afternoon.
—
Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird