PSG Espoirs 4-2 West Ham United U21s
Friendly, PSG Campus, Wednesday 16 April 2025, 11.30am BST
West Ham United U21s were beaten 4-2 by PSG Espoirs in an entertaining friendly encounter at the French champions’ training campus on Wednesday afternoon, as the young Hammers continued their preparations for the upcoming Premier League 2 play-offs, which they qualified for as the fourth seed.
In a game designed to maintain rhythm and sharpness ahead of knockout football later this month, the Hammers came from behind to lead at the break with goals from Lewis Orford and Josh Ajala, only for the hosts to strike late and snatch the win.
The visitors started brightly in the French capital and almost took an early lead inside the first minute when Preston Fearon teed up Orford, whose strike from inside the area flashed wide. Moments later, Emeka Adiele and Fearon’s high press saw West Ham win the ball deep in PSG territory, and after good combination play between Orford, Ryan Battrum and Kamarai Swyer, the latter sent a shot over the bar.
West Ham continued to assert themselves and came close again on 13 minutes when Ajala nearly turned in a dangerous cross from Swyer. Dan Rigge picked up the rebound and curled an effort just wide from just outside the penalty area.
But against the run of play, it was the hosts who struck first. A misplaced pass at the back was pounced on by Mahamadou Sangaré to give PSG a 1-0 lead on 16 minutes.
Undeterred, the young Hammers responded superbly. A well-worked team move saw Fearon clip a pass in behind, which Battrum deftly cushioned into Orford’s path. After a one-two with Swyer, the skipper coolly slotted into the far corner to level the scores midway through the half.
Swyer and Orford linking up AGAIN 🤝 pic.twitter.com/z3ZckuNM5A
— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 16, 2025
Orford was again involved in West Ham’s second, this time intercepting and sparking a swift counter-attack. Swyer’s dribble caused problems and when the ball broke kindly, Ajala was on hand to finish unmarked and give West Ham the lead on 34 minutes. Mark Robson's side maintained control for much of the first half and went into the break with a deserved advantage.
Composure from Ajala 🧘 pic.twitter.com/T5KeWThjtR
— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 16, 2025
The second half though saw the hosts grow into the game, with Yoran Zague a constant threat down the right. A flurry of chances followed, with Yanis Khafi firing over from close range before Fin Herrick was called into action to deny Noham Kamara’s flicked header.
Despite some key defensive stops from Battrum, Ezra Mayers and Airidas Golambeckis, PSG eventually found their equaliser on 69 minutes, as Quentin Ndjantou capitalised on a loose ball and tucked it home. With the game nearing its end, PSG struck again. A first-time cross from the left found Sangaré, who took a touch to set himself up before netting his second to make it 3-2 with two minutes of regular time left.
Sean Moore nearly brought West Ham level again in stoppage time after a pinpoint pass from Orford, but the winger’s angled strike in a crowded penalty area went just wide.
PSG added a fourth deep into added time when a deflected effort from captain Ibrahima Diaby beat substitute goalkeeper Fin Hooper to seal the result.
While the late goals skewed the final scoreline, it was a valuable afternoon for the U21s, who played some great football ahead of their return to competitive action.
West Ham's fourth-placed finish in Premier League 2 means they will face the 13th seed in the Round of 16, which will either be Sunderland or Everton, depending on Liverpool’s result in their final regular season fixture against Aston Villa.
PSG Espoirs: Mouquet (Francillone 74), Zague, Cordier, Kamara (Chtai Telamio 60), El Hannach (Tape HT), Diaby ©, Lankoso (Kone HT), Diyinu Nzinga (Legrix 80), Sangaré, Khafi, Ndjantou (Kissanga 80)
Goals: Sangaré 16, 88, Ndjantou 69, Diaby 90+5
West Ham United U21s: Herrick (Hooper 74), Battrum, Clayton (Nwosu 69), Fearon (Akpata 64), Golambeckis, Mayers, Swyer (Moore HT), Orford ©, Ajala (Dolaghan 69), Rigge (Dike 69), Adiele
Goals: Orford 23, Ajala 34
Booked: Adiele
Orford: It's a good time of the season to be in and amongst the goals
Captaining the side, Lewis Orford once again led from the front. Despite conceding against the run of play in unfortunate circumstances, Orford continued to dictate the tempo of the game and was instrumental in both goals which had West Ham leading at the break. His equaliser in the 26th minute was his eighth goal involvement in his last seven appearances for the U21s, a perfect time to hit his best form he says.
He said: “The trip to Paris was very enjoyable for us as it was a chance to get away from our usual environment and play against a team like PSG, which is an opportunity that doesn’t come around often. I really enjoyed playing at their campus. It’s an unbelievable training ground and the pitch was next level.
“Of course scoring always helps gain a bit of confidence. Right now, it’s a good time of the season to be in and amongst the goals as the play-offs are coming up. I’m hoping to keep this momentum going into the next few weeks.
“The game definitely helped with our preparation for the play-offs game as playing a team like PSG is very challenging. I thought we played very well in the first half but couldn’t quite keep it up for 90 minutes. It was a good test for us and now it’s all focus on the play-offs.”
Robson: It was a very high standard game
Speaking after the match, lead coach Mark Robson reflected positively on what was a valuable and high-quality test for West Ham United U21s in Paris.
He said: "I thought we were very good. The performance was really good. We played against a very good side and it was a very high level for an U21s game. In fact, the majority of the players on both sides were even younger, around 19, so it was a very high standard game.
"Obviously we’re disappointed that we conceded from a mistake, but that’s something we’ll learn from. I thought our first goal summed up our performance, the passing, the movement, the rotations, the quick combinations. It was a really enjoyable first half. I enjoyed watching them play.
"We lost our way a little bit with the changes, but that was expected, we had players playing in new positions and others making their first appearances for the U21s. It was important to get that game in before the play-offs. We can recuperate now, and the younger lads have their cup final coming up, which is a big game for them.
"It was a really good experience for players and staff alike, playing at such a fantastic facility. It was top, top drawer, a great environment for the players to be around. Overall, it was a really good trip, lots of positives to take from it, and we even had two 16-year-olds out there on the pitch. A brilliant experience in terms of learnings."
