West Ham United U18s 6-1 Viitorul Cluj
Zlaty Kahan 2022, Group A, Tuesday 19 July 2022
West Ham United U18s got their involvement in the 2022 Zlatý Kahan tournament off to a near-perfect start with a 6-1 win over Viitorul Cluj.
Daniel Rigge, George Earthy and Callum Marshall would each score terrific goals in the first period, after Cluj took an early lead, while Gideon Kodua and Patrick Kelly would add finishes early in the second half. Blaise Uwandji capped the victory with the Irons’ sixth late on.
The young Hammers are participating in the 42nd prestigious Zlaty Kahan tournament in the Czech Republic, hosted by the Baník Ostrava Academy, and got their week-long campaign off to a sensational start against Romanian side Cluj.
The victory was the first of four games Kevin Keen’s side will play in the Czech Republic this week as part of the pre-season tournament.
It was the Hammers who enjoyed the first chance in Tuesday evening’s encounter, as Lewis Orford found Marshall inside the box, only for the young attacker’s effort to be straight at the Cluj goalkeeper.
The Romanian side took the lead on 18 minutes following a mix-up in the West Ham area. The smallest lapse allowed a Cluj forward to pounce, squeezing home a low effort.
The advantage would only last three minutes, however, as midfielder Rigge levelled for the Irons with a superb finish. Rigge would collect the ball and coolly curl home into the top corner from distance, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance of saving his excellent strike.
Check out images from the game in the gallery above!
Mason Terry was called into action on 28 minutes, pushing away a strong strike to stop Cluj from adding their second, and the save would prove vital as West Ham would take the lead moments later. Tenacious work by Rigge on the flank would permit the midfielder to pull the ball back for Earthy, who gratefully turned home from around six yards.
Just three minutes later, West Ham had a third and it was another phenomenal strike; this time from Marshall. The striker received the ball deep and unleashed a powerful effort from his left-foot. Despite getting a hand to it, the Cluj goalkeeper could not make the save and West Ham had a third.
Substitute Jemiah Umolu almost added a four with a wonder-strike of his own, only to see his curler from distance head over after hitting the cross-bar.
Further changes followed at half-time as lead coach Keen made use of the rolling substitutes rule, and just five minutes after the restart the returning Kodua made his mark on the score-line.
The forward was found with an excellent pass from Earthy just inside the penalty area and, taking an exquisite touch, fired home a fine finish to extend the advantage.
Terry was called into action again minutes after West Ham’s fourth, pulling out an instinctual diving stop, before the Irons’ fifth was netted on 55 minutes. Kelly found space on the left side and, evading a tackle, unleashed a lethal finish across goal and into the top corner.
Cluj, for the most part in the second half, were limited to strikes of frustration from outside the area, which were comfortably collected. The Hammers dictated the tempo, although some tiredness towards the end of the game allowed Cluj to break; Ezra Mayers making a sensational tackle to deny the Romanian youngsters.
Uwandji would add West Ham’s sixth with a low effort on 89 minutes, with the Irons claiming a big win in their opening Zlaty Kahan 2022 fixture. The Hammers’ second Group A contest, against Banik Ostrava, will be played on Wednesday afternoon.
West Ham United U18s: Terry, Falase, Nallo, Casey, Jones, Akpata, Earthy, Orford, Rigge, Kodua (c), Marshall
Rolling subs: Battrum, Scarles, Umolu, Fawunmi, Mukasa, Uwandji, Boothe, Kelly, Mayers
Subs not used: Herrick
Goals: Rigge 21, Earthy 29, Marshall 31, Kodua 50, Kelly 55, Uwandji 89