U21s Thrashed By PSV
Tuesday, 27th Oct 2026 14:00
Town’s U21s were thrashed 7-0 by their PSV counterparts in their second Premier League International Cup game at Portman Road this afternoon, having been 6-0 down before half-time.
The Blues opted not to include any senior players in their side, having fielded Cedric Kipre and Marcelino Nunez in the 1-0 defeat to Anderlecht last week, a decision they may well be rueing after being thoroughly outclassed by the Dutch side with significantly more top-level experience and who play their league football in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier in the Netherlands.
Town were also without U21s skipper Jacob Mazionis and fellow defender Oliver Wilkinson, who suffered injuries in the game against the Belgians.
The Dutch side, managed twice by Sir Bobby Robson during his illustrious career, went in front after only two and a half minutes, Ayoni Santos beating his man as he broke into the area on the left before hitting a powerful shot from a very tight angle which beat Alex Noonan in the Town goal.
Santos, who has won four full caps with Cape Verde and came close to making their World Cup squad, caused more danger soon after the restart, this time cutting in from the left before being crowded out by Ryan Doherty. A follow-up shot was hit wide of Noonan’s right post.
But Santos, who has played a handful of games for PSV’s senior side having signed in the summer after played for Sparta Rotterdam’s first team last season, didn’t have to wait long for his second goal.
On eight, the left-sided wideman lofted a cross from the left towards the far post and Sol Sidibe, who made no contact but the ball found the corner of the net.
Pitts saw a rare Town attack ended when his cross from the right was cut out, but the visitors were dominating the ball, comfortably keeping possession and probing for more opportunities.
Shuryjano Cornecion saw an effort deflected wide from the edge of the box to the left, then Doherty diverted a low shot wide from the other side. From the flag-kick, a low shot found the side-netting.
In the 16th minute, Mikkel Bro Hansen hooked a high ball down the middle over Noonan but also over the bar.
But the visitors added to their lead two minutes later, Town passing out from the back breaking down and Cornecion, an 18-year-old who made his first three Eredivisie sub appearances this month, confidently lofted the ball over Noonan having sat the Irish keeper on his backside.
On 20, it was 4-0. Blues right-back and skipper Leon Elliott was left on the ground as Bro Hansen, who made his Champions League debut earlier this month, cut in from the left and shot inside the corner of the net.
Elliott, who had been given a torrid time by PSV danger man Santos, was unable to continue and Isaac Boakye-King took over.
Town prevented any further efforts until the 34th minute when the ball fell loose to Santos from a corner on the left but this time the 21-year-old swept his shot too close to Noonan, who saved.
The Blues’ first chance of the game came in the 37th minute when Luca Fletcher was sent away behind the PSV defence’s high line by Pitts but his shot was well saved by vastly experienced 31-year-old visitors’ keeper Nick Olij.
Two minutes later, Pitts was played in by Frankie Runham but with two defenders between him and the goal was unable to get in a clean strike from the left of the area and Olij saved, albeit spilling it but with defenders able to clear.
On 40, it was almost 5-0, Bro Hansen, who joined PSV from Bodø/Glimt last month having made first-team appearances for the Norwegian side, cleverly rolled his man on the edge of the area but Blues defender Corbin Mthunzi did well to get across to block the Danish U17 international’s shot.
A minute later, Santos beat Boakye-King for pace on the left of the box but hit a shot across the face of goal and out on the far side.
But in the 44th minute, the Dutch side made it 5-0, left-back Rivas Manuhutu shooting low into the corner of the net.
Three minutes into four additional minutes, Mthunzi was adjudged to have fouled Cornecion inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Bro Hansen took the kick, sent Noonan the wrong way and found the corner of the net to make the half-time scoreline 6-0.
Town’s youngsters will have been delighted to hear the whistle having been thoroughly out-classed by a PSV side with considerably more first-team experience.
The Blues prevented the Dutch team from having any further shots at goal until six minutes after the restart when Santos hit a low strike, which Noonan saved down to his right.
A minute later, following a long spell of PSV possession, Santos cut in from the left and struck a powerful right-foot effort across the face and wide.
Just before the hour, Bro Hansen was played in on the edge of the box, took a touch before smashing a shot which Noonan did very well to palm over the bar to his left.
Town had defended more resolutely in the second half but in the 64th minute, PSV made it 7-0.
Sidibe cleverly fed Cornecion bursting in on goal on the right of the area from where the Curacao U20 international shot across Noonan and into the net for his second goal of the afternoon.
Town made two changes in the 70th minute, Pitts and Jamie Mauge making way for Shakil Nicolaou and Sid Eldred.
On 77, Sidibe and Bro Hansen slickly exchanged passes inside the area on the Blues’ left but a Town defender’s toe just intercepted with an eighth goal otherwise looking a certainty. A minute later, Runham hit the wall with a 30-yard free-kick.
Doherty was shown Town’s first yellow card of the game in the 82nd minute for pulling back Noah Fernandez, who had skipped past a number of players and was bearing down on the area. Fernandez curled the free-kick well over.
The Blues had their best chance of the half in the 87th minute, sub Nicolaou crossing from the right and sub Walker Shabazz-Edwards heading down but past the far post.
Seconds before the whistle, Cornecion cut in from the right looking for his hat-trick but shot over the bar.
A better second half from the Blues as the one additional goal indicates with PSV continuing to dominate but without creating anything like as many chances.
At the other end, Town never laid a glove on the visitors in the second half until Shabazz-Edwards’s late header, having had a couple of chances just before the break, Fletcher’s the pick.
The greater experience in the PSV side meant the game was something of a mismatch and with hindsight the Blues will feel they should have included one or two senior players as they did against Anderlecht.
Town are next in action in the competition on Friday 20th November when they host another of Sir Bobby Robson’s former sides FC Porto at Portman Road.
U21s: Noonan, Elliott (c) (Boakye-King 23), Lewis, Mthunzi, Shabazz-Edwards, Doherty, Pitts (Nicolaou 70), Compton, Mauge (Eldred 70), Runham, Fletcher. Unused: Barrett, Felicio, Eze, Atherton.
Photo: Matchday Images
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