West Ham United U18s secured their place in the final of the 2022 Zlatý Kahan Cup after a 4-0 win over Baník Ostrava.
A penalty from George Earthy and Gideon Kodua’s tap-in put the young Hammers on their way to another victory on Wednesday, with Callum Marshall adding a third from the spot early in the second half before Lewis Orford fired home our fourth.
Wednesday’s win, combined with Tuesday’s 6-1 victory over Romanian side Viitorul Cluj, mean the Hammers have finished top of Group A and will go into another group stage with the winners of Group B and Group B to determine the overall winners of the tournament.
Speaking to West Ham TV, assistant coach Mark Phillips took particular delight in how the U18s managed Wednesday’s fixture and the tough conditions on their way to scoring four goals and keeping a clean-sheet...
Mark, another big win for the boys in this game. That’s two from two in the competition so far and it was another good performance.
“It was a different performance in this game, from Tuesday’s match. I thought we controlled large parts of the game and, obviously, the score-line reflects that. I think it was a very professional performance.
“We’ve scored ten goals in these two games, which is always a good sign, and we could have scored more if I was being a bit greedy. We’ve been creating lots of chances.
“It was also very important to keep a clean-sheet in this game. We spoke about the clean-sheet at half-time and talked about being disciplined. It was how we reacted to certain aspects, and decisions, and I thought we were excellent in the second half in terms of how we managed the game.”
How have these U18s dealt with the competition that European opposition is poising?
“I think it’s one of the really good reasons for coming to these tournaments. We’ve been to Scotland, we’ve been to Loughborough, and we can have games against more local teams, but the advantage of coming abroad is playing different styles and different systems. I think the boys have dealt very well with that so far.”
Check out images from Wednesday's win in the gallery above!
From an intensity point-of-view, it has been two games in two days that have been played in very hot conditions as well...
“I think the boys have coped with the heat well. It has been very hot! Wednesday’s game was more challenging than Tuesday’s game in terms of it was a 3.00pm kick-off, compared to a 5.00pm on Tuesday. And we can’t understate how hot it was, but the boys dealt with it very well. They managed it well.
“We kept the ball at the right times and we exploded forwards at the time times. Again, it’s one of the reasons why we’ve come abroad – because it gives us different challenges to figure out.”
The two wins means we will play in the final group stage and have a chance of winning the tournament. How much of a challenge will that be on Friday and Saturday?
“It will be a real challenge for our side. We’ve played two really good teams already and its good to play teams from different countries. On Saturday last week, we played Glasgow Rangers, which was another different test. It’s hard work but it’s good for the boys.
“Obviously, everyone would like to win the whole thing now. It sets good habits for the team going into the season and for the future.”
