Arsenal’s under-19s began their UEFA Youth League campaign with a 3-1 defeat in Bilbao, undone by late lapses.
Brando Bailey-Joseph, only 16, equalised 17 seconds into the second half with a composed finish from Ceadach O’Neill’s cross, offering hope after Manex Lozano’s early opener.
But as cramp and fatigue took hold, Lozano struck again on 85 minutes, capitalising on a goalkeeping error, before Elijah Gift converted a stoppage-time penalty to settle matters.
The visitors had travelled with a young squad and head coach Max Porter stressed that the lessons, rather than the scoreline, will define the night. “There are a lot of amazing positives. It’s our toughest competition; everything from travelling to the build-up to it. For us, putting a squad together and then trying to compete, it’s a brilliant opportunity,” he told the club’s website.
Porter praised the response at the interval but acknowledged the gulf in experience. “We came out and gave a really, really good response, we got back in the game, we had some moments, but we couldn’t maintain the intensity required in this game to sustain that and give us the best chance and towards the end of the game we were too open because of that and unfortunately, ended up losing.”
Jack Porter impressed with several saves despite conceding three, while Louie Copley captained a side featuring multiple U19 debutants. Schoolboy winger Kyran Thompson was also included in the squad for the first time.
The defeat leaves Arsenal bottom of the group, but Porter believes the exposure will prove valuable ahead of the next fixture against Olympiacos. “We want them to be able to showcase how good they are on a European stage. The thing that we’ve got to realise is that this level of competition, you have to have an element of game management,” he said.