Boy Blues move clear with victory
CITY EDS NAPOLI YTH 3 1 CITY EDS picked up a vital win against Napoli to go five points clear at the halfway point in their Uefa Youth League group.
Missing regulars Phil Foden and Joel Latibeaudiere who are at the Under-17 World Cup with England, the young Blues were made to work hard for victory at the Academy Stadium.
Brahim Diaz smashed home from close range after good work from Nabil Touaizi as Simon Davies’s team had the better of the first half.
But Raffaele Russo took advantage of some hesitancy at the back to level the score three minutes after the break.
That threatened to drain the confidence of the hosts, who came into the game on the back of a 3-0 home defeat to Everton described on the club website as ‘being denied a victory’.
Passes began to go askew but City stabilised as Brahim slotted home a penalty just short of the hour mark.
And when Benjamin Garre stabbed the ball home a few minutes later, City’s morale was restored and they saw out the rest of the game.
The result leaves the Blues sitting pretty at the top of their group in a competition that they have never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage.
City Football Services boss Brian Marwood reiterated that the UEFA Youth League remains a priority for the academy this week, despite the move away from focussing on results.