Another convincing victory for the Futures in England
FRIDAY, 23 JANUARY 2026, 14:42 - lajoya
1B - GAMES For their third match in the Premier League International Cup, Anderlecht's U23 visited Leeds. As in their two previous appearances, the young Purple & White shone and convincingly defeated a powerless English team 0-3. With 7 out of 9 and one game less, they are currently third; only a victory against West Ham, which is still pointless in three games, can put them in first place and earn them a ticket to the next round. The U23 dominated the entire game and were rarely troubled by a Leeds team that was clearly outclassed.
With players such as Dwight Ede Eriyo (60 minutes) and Adjani Mujangi (who came on with ten minutes to go), who are barely 15 years old, the Futures had a very low average age. That did not prevent them from dominating the entire game and returning to Brussels with a comfortable, well-deserved victory.
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Continue reading After two early warnings from Tajaouart and Onia-Seke, Anderlecht finally scored three goals thanks to a double from Enzo Sternal and a strike from Terry Van de Ven.
The opening goal came in the 32nd minute. After winning the ball in the opponent's half, Vroninks passed to Onia-Seke on the right side of the penalty area, who then passed the ball to Sternal, who had entered the penalty area. With no pressure on him, the small playmaker shot hard through the goalkeeper's legs: 0-1.
Just after the break, the Purple & White doubled their lead. A fine collective attack brought the Futures into the Leeds penalty area, where Tajaouart picked up a poorly cleared ball. The Moroccan international took advantage of his freedom to lay the ball on the head of the diminutive Sternal, who only had to nod it into the net: 0-2.
On the hour mark, N'Dao, sent away by Tajaouart, broke through the defense at speed from the right flank and delivered a low, tight cross at ground level for Van de Ven, who was able to finish with his first touch: 0-3.
After that, the purple and white team simply passed the ball around without ever really getting into trouble. Despite a few chances in front of the English goal, the score remained unchanged: 0-3. The boys from Neerpede now have 7 points from 9 and are only behind Dortmund and Manchester United. Both teams have 9 points from 12 and have already completed their first phase. This means that Anderlecht must beat West Ham in their last game if they want to finish in the top two. Given that team's 0 from 9, that task does not seem insurmountable.
Result: Leeds United – RSCA Futures: 0-3 Line-up: Haentjens, Vroninks, Barry, Dacosta, Akomolede (60' Mahroug), De Ridder (81' Mujangi), Tajaouart (c), N'Dao (72' Joel Kana), Ede Eriyo (60' Van de Ven), Sternal (72' De Corte), Onia-Seke Substitutes: Gijsbers, Mahroug (in 60'), Joel Kana (in 72'), Mujangi (in 81'), De Corte (in 72'), Van de Ven (in 60') Goals: 32': Sternal (0-1) 46': Sternal (0-2) 61': Van de Ven (0-3)
