Liverpool U19s 2-2 Atletico Madrid U19s: Match Report & Rob Page | OneFootball

Liverpool U19s were forced to settle for a point in their opening UEFA Youth League fixture as Spanish visitors Atletico Madrid fought back from two goals down to earn a dramatic 2-2 draw at the AXA academy.

Rob Page’s side looked on course for an impressive European victory after goals from Mor Talla Ndiaye and Josh Sonni-Lambie had put the young Reds 2-0 ahead by half-time, having weathered an early onslaught.

However, Atletico responded strongly after the interval, with Joel Sanchez pulling one back before Adrian Lis-Zielinski struck in the 90th minute to rescue a point for the visitors.

Liverpool almost snatched all three points in stoppage time, but substitute Erik Farkas saw his effort crash back off the post.

The Reds also handed a UEFA Youth League debut to 15-year-old Luca Eden, a history maker, who became Liverpool’s youngest-ever player in the competition.

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The breakthrough arrived after 27 minutes when Bradshaw delivered an excellent inswinging corner towards the near post, where Mor Talla Ndiaye rose highest to glance a header beyond the Atletico goalkeeper and give Liverpool the lead.

Eden played a key role in the move, finding Josh Sonni-Lambie, who showed excellent composure before firing a powerful left-footed finish across goal and into the far corner.

The visitors responded by making three changes at half-time and immediately increased the intensity and were level when Sanchez picked up possession outside the penalty area before producing an outstanding finish, curling the ball into the top corner to give the visitors a route back into the game.

With the clock approaching 90 minutes, Atletico won a corner and worked the resulting set-piece into the Liverpool penalty area. The ball fell to Adrian Lis-Zielinski, who fired home from inside the box to make it 2-2.

Deep into stoppage time, substitute Erik Farkas found space and struck an effort from distance which beat the Atletico goalkeeper but crashed back off the post. It was agonisingly close to restoring Liverpool’s lead.

The final whistle followed shortly afterwards, leaving the young Reds to reflect on a game they had looked destined to win after a superb first-half display.

Despite surrendering the advantage, there were plenty of positives for Page’s side, particularly the attacking quality shown in the opening 45 minutes and the performances of Ndiaye, Sonni-Lambie, Bradshaw and 15-year-old Eden.

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Dan spoke to the Reds’ boss after the match…

Overall reaction: “A bit of frustration. I thought you can’t ask any more from an attitude and effort point of view. They were all on the floor at the end of the game. We knew we were up against good opposition that would keep the ball really, really well. I thought our shape in the first half was outstanding. We came off a little bit in the second half, so that’s a learning for us. The young players, like Eden in the middle of the park, 15 years old, to give a level of performance like that was outstanding. So the future is very bright for them. So that was a positive. Understandably, he just ran out of steam towards the end, even though he didn’t want to come off. So that says a lot about his character. But yes, a lot of frustration. We looked back at the goals. They didn’t have to look too hard to score the goals. We were under pressure, but I think that’s the next step for us now. It’s having that ruthless mentality to see a game out when you’re 2-0.”

More on Luca Eden: “I think we’ve all seen it. Everybody’s opinion is that it was a proper game of football. And I think players like that, they adapt to it, no problem. It’s not a shock to them. If you speak to some of the under-18s, that would have been one of the most physical games they’d have played. For somebody like Luca, he matches it and goes somewhere. And I think top, top players have the ability to do that. And he rose to the occasion today.”

On the style match the first-team: “I think it’s important my under-21s have an understanding of what the first team play. Because they’re one step away from being in that building. I think it comes down to the profile of players. We have an understanding of how the first team plays and key principles like how we press. How he wants his 10 to press, how he wants his 8 to press, how he wants his centre-backs to press. We mirror that absolutely. And I thought the first half we’d done it really well. Second, we weren’t quite as aggressive as we needed to be like we was on first half. But I think it comes down to player profile.”

On Oli’Onnor: “Oli can adapt. He’s making some great last-ditch tackles at the end. Two outstanding tackles in particular. But you play him left-wing as well, and he’ll roll his sleeves up and give you 100%. And it speaks volumes about his attitude, doesn’t it? Some players would not be too pleased about playing in two or three positions. I personally think it’s a string to his bow. It’s another attribute for him. So eventually, where do I see him playing? Maybe on the right. But to do that, I like him coming inside. I do like that with the two 10s. And to do that, you need an athletic right-back outside him. So in the long-term future, if I was to buy him into a team, I’d have an athletic right-back and him playing as a 10 off the right.”

On Mor Talla Ndiaye: “Whenever the lads go across to the first-team side, you can tell the intensity of training has gone up 10 times. We can try our best to increase the intensity of training with the 21s, but when you’ve got top players as we’ve got, it’s not three or four touches, it’s one or two touches. You’ve got to be fitter, you’ve got to be more physical. And he’s definitely benefited from it. He’s an incredible story, isn’t he? From where he’s come from to where he is today. And he’s such a humble kid. He’s an unbelievable lad to work with. He comes in every morning with a big smile on his face. He’s a pleasure to work with. Exciting times ahead, but he’s got a lot of work to do. He’s nowhere near the finished article, I’d say, but he’s on the right path. His attitude is spot on. He’s at the club that will definitely help him develop.”

On Will Wright: “I was very pleased with him. He’s done six rounds with the centre-half today. But yeah, he’s got to get used to that. That’s the game. And he doesn’t grumble. He hasn’t complained coming off. If we get a point or if we win the game and he hasn’t scored, he’s a team player. So he’ll put a shift in for the group. And we made him captain today because of what he’s done in the past, his effort, his hard work, and how he represents the team.”