West Ham United U21s 0-2 Olympique Lyonnais 2
Premier League International Cup Group B, Rush Green Stadium, Tuesday 3 December 2024, 7pm GMT
Olympique Lyonnais 2 cemented their place at the top of Group B of the Premier League International Cup with a 2-0 victory over West Ham United U21s at Rush Green Stadium.
The young Hammers showed moments of promise but ultimately fell to a Lyon side that capitalised on their chances and defended resolutely. The result guarantees Lyon’s progression to the knockout stages, with nine points from their group games, while West Ham fall to last place on goal difference after suffering a seventh consecutive defeat in all competitions.
The match began brightly for West Ham as they attempted to exploit the flanks early on through Ollie Scarles and Emeka Adiele. Lyon, however, proved to be a threat on the counter-attack. Luizão was called into action in the fifth minute, preventing a dangerous three-on-one situation for the visitors, a sign of things to come.
The Hammers continued to build momentum, with neat bits of interplay, playing their way around the Lyon press. In the 12th minute, Lewis Orford’s precise ball over the top released Josh Ajala, whose low-driven effort narrowly missed the target. Moments later, Lyon came agonisingly close to scoring when Selmar Lega’s curling effort struck the post. Lega would go one better moments later, volleying home a West Ham clearance into the bottom corner to give the visitors an early lead.
West Ham responded with patient build-up play, but Lyon’s disciplined shape restricted the Hammers to half-chances. A golden opportunity arose in the 38th minute when Sean Moore intercepted a misplaced pass from Lyon goalkeeper Yvann Konan. Moore squared it to Ajala, but Konan redeemed himself with a crucial save, while the rebound efforts were blocked. As the half drew to a close, Ajala tested Konan again after capitalising on a poor clearance from Enzo Molebe, but the Lyon goalkeeper remained steadfast to ensure the visitors led at the break.
Lyon wasted no time in doubling their advantage shortly after the restart. A low free-kick from the left found Mathys de Carvalho at the near post. Amidst the ensuing chaos, Mahamadou Diawara pounced on the loose ball to make it 2-0.
Despite the setback, West Ham continued to push forward. The introduction of substitutes Tyron Akpata, Brad Dolaghan and Favour Fawunmi injected renewed energy into the side, with Fawunmi testing Konan from a counter-attack effort in the 67th minute. The Hammers carved out another promising chance in the 73rd minute when Moore’s cross found an unmarked Kamarai Swyer in the box. However, he was unable to generate enough power to truly trouble Konan.
As the game approached the 90-minute mark, Lyon turned the screw. However, Mason Terry produced a string of exceptional saves to keep West Ham within two. In the 89th minute, he denied de Carvalho’s fierce strike from a corner before clawing away another de Carvalho effort that seemed destined for the top corner. In the closing stages, Lyon managed the game well, frustrating the Hammers and slowing the tempo to secure a well-earned away win.
West Ham United U21s: Terry, Tarima, Luizão, Mayers (Akpata 65), Robinson, Orford ©, Scarles, Adiele (Fawumni 65), Moore (Rigge 77), Swyer (Battrum 84), Ajala (Dolaghan 65)
Subs not used: Hooper (GK), Brown
Olympique Lyonnais 2: Konan, Barišić © (Lagha 84), Chaib, Mounsesse, Lomami, de Carvalho, Coponat (Alamine 76), Diawara (Kango 84), Gomes Rodríguez (Perret 87), Molebe, Lega
Subs not used: Llahona (GK), Yahia, Dorival
Goals: Lega 15, Diawara 47
Robson: They wanted it more than us
Looking to build on an encouraging performance on Friday where they were only narrowly defeated by a last-minute Manchester United winner, lead coach Mark Robson reflected on the development side’s latest loss.
"We started the first half well, building on the positives from the Manchester United game,” he said. “We dominated possession and moved the ball well, but for all that, we simply didn’t create enough clear-cut chances to trouble them.
"The goal early in the second half was really disappointing. For that moment, we didn’t do our jobs. We allowed their players to get on the wrong side of us and failed to deal with what was a straightforward low ball into the box. Somehow, it’s ended up in the back of the net. There are big question marks about our positioning, both in terms of defending the front space where the ball was played and allowing their players to run off us unchecked. These are things we managed well in the Manchester United game, so it was frustrating to see us fall short tonight."
He added: “They were the better team in the second half. They wanted it more than us, which was disappointing. Once we went 2-0 down, we lacked the character that had allowed us to get back into the first two games of the group."
