Under 18 3 - 3 Southampton U18 - Match Report

Our under-18s staged a thrilling three-goal comeback to secure a 3-3 draw against Southampton on Saturday morning.

Despite finding ourselves three goals down within the first half hour, a spirited fightback saw Dan Casey, Andre Harriman-Annous, and Alex Marciniak hit the target to salvage a well-earned point.

The match got off to a rocky start as we fell behind early. A misplaced pass allowed Harry Gathercole to slide the ball across to Moses Sesay, who calmly slotted it home to give the visitors the lead.

By the tenth minute, Southampton had doubled their advantage when Sesay’s deflected effort found the back of the net.

We looked to respond, with Ceadach O’Neill coming close on a couple of occasions, but Southmapton’s keeper comfortably dealt with his attempts. Unfortunately, the visitors were clinical, and Nicholas Oyekunle made it three after rounding Jack Porter and tapping into an empty net.

In response, Jack Wilshere made a double substitution, introducing Marciniak, who immediately made an impact. The lively midfielder had a volley saved moments after coming on, before playing a pivotal role in us pulling a goal back before half-time. His clever pass across the box found Casey, who smashed home his sixth goal of the season.

At the break, Brando Bailey-Joseph was brought on and wasted no time making his presence felt. Just five minutes after the restart, he set up Harriman-Annous for a simple tap-in, giving us fresh momentum.

We continued to press and found a deserved equaliser in the closing stages. Max Dowman’s mazy run down the wing ended with a pinpoint cross to the back post, where Marciniak was waiting to fire in the leveller.

In a pulsating finale, we almost snatched a dramatic winner when Dowman went one-on-one with the keeper, but his effort drifted wide. Nevertheless, our young Gunners showed incredible resilience and determination to claw their way back and secure a point.

What it means

We’ve made a solid start to the season, remaining unbeaten after four games and sitting on 8 points.

What’s next

Some of our under-18 players will join the under-19 squad as they head to Bergamo for a UEFA Youth League clash against Atalanta on Thursday, September 19. Kick-off at the Stadio Comunale is set for 1:30pm (UK time).

Our under-18s return to league action on Saturday, September 28, with a trip to face Brighton & Hove Albion.

Team News

Arsenal XI: Porter, Julienne, Clarke, Sweet (Onyekachukwu, 32) Ismail, Ibrahim, Akolbire (Marciniak, 32) Casey (Shuaib, 90+7), Dowman, O'Neill (Bailey-Joseph, 46), Harriman-Annous

Subs not used: Ranson