Crystal Palace U18 2 – 2 Under 18 – Match Report
Our under-18s ended their U18 Premier League South campaign in comeback fashion, battling back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Crystal Palace.
A busy first 45 saw Donte Martin and Raihaan Anderson give the home side a healthy score margin within the first ten minutes, before goals from Maalik Hashi and Brando Bailey-Joseph sparked a fightback to restore parity before the break.
A quieter second half followed as the points were ultimately shared, bringing our season to a close with a point on the road.
WHAT HAPPENED
We got off to a slow start and conceded early when Martin pounced on a loose clearance and floated a ball onto the far post, which deflected into the net.
Palace then doubled their lead within minutes through Anderson, who benefited from more defensive troubles. A long throw-in ricocheted off Callan Hamill and fell to the forward, who tapped home from close range.
Hope was found before the half-hour mark when Hashi stole the ball off the Eagles’ back line and drove forward, before curling his finish into the bottom left corner.
We were back level within minutes of the restart, orchestrated again by Hashi, who whipped a ball wide to Bailey-Joseph. Our winger beat Dean Benamar and smashed his near-post effort under Jack Mason’s outstretched gloves.
We finished the half on top and came close to taking the lead when Bailey-Joseph used his electric pace down the right wing to beat Khyan Fraser-Williams and cut a cross into a sea of shirts, but it was a Palace jersey that got there first to clear the danger.
We began the second half with continued momentum, producing a flurry of attempts that also saw Mason shown a red card, leaving Palace without a recognised goalkeeper on the bench to bring on.
We struggled to create clear-cut chances to test the makeshift no.1’s resolve, as the game in south London ended in a 2-2 draw to sign off the season.
WHAT’S NEXT
Our U18 Premier League South campaign concludes with a 10th-place finish, and the young Gunners will return in mid-July to begin their pre-season preparations for 2026/27.
LINE UPS
Crystal Palace XI: Mason, Frazer-Williams, Benamar, Walker-Smith, Bull, Okoli, Greaves, Danaher (Bernard 56), Martin, Anderson, Angibeaud.
Subs not used: Shittu, Kalembo, Moses, Lamidi.
Arsenal XI: Ranson, Sampang, Stachow, Murisa, Owusu-Gyasi, Julienne, Hamill (Onyekachukwu 77), Hashi (Phillips 59), Marciniak, Bailey-Joseph, Zecevic John.
Subs not used: Lupinski, Frohock.
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