In-form Arsenal starlet scores goal from halfway line

Arsenal youngster Ceadach O’Neill scored a goal from the halfway line over the weekend, as the Gunners came from 3-0 down to earn a draw with 10 men.

Photo via Arsenal.com

Arsenal took on Norwich City away from home in the u18 Premier League Cup on Saturday, knowing they needed a win to guarantee progression to the knockout stages.

With that in mind, the first hour of football couldn’t have gone much worse. Finn Corke scored twice to give Norwich a 2-0 lead by half-time, and shortly after the break Arsenal goalkeeper Khari Ranson was shown a straight red card for a last-man foul.

Arsenal subbed on summer signing Remi Lupinski for a defender, but Lupinski couldn’t keep out a well-placed free-kick from the subsequent restart for 3-0.

Photo via MK Dons on Twitter

Down to 10 men and three goals behind, the Arsenal u18s never gave up hope of a result.

Brando Bailey-Joseph provided the first spark of a comeback, firing in from a tight angle for 3-1. But the real moment of magic came in the 87th minute, as Ceadach O’Neill performed a clever turn in his own half before looping a shot into the net with an effort from the halfway line.

Suddenly Arsenal were back in it, and O’Neill was involved again as he laid the ball off for Bowen Phillips to equalise.

O’Neill has now scored 10 and assisted four in 14 games this season, putting him at one goal contribution per appearance.

Photo via O’Neill on Instagram

Arsenal’s 10 men still needed a win, and they almost got it as Josh Ogunnaike’s floated ball wrong-footed the goalkeeper and nearly crept in. But the keeper managed to adjust and stop it on the line, with the draw condemning both teams to elimination.

Only one team could qualify from Arsenal’s group, and that ended up being Peterborough United after they defeated Stoke City on the final day.

The Gunners finished second on four points, and some consolation is that even if that late Ogunnaike goal had gone in, Peterborough still would have finished top on goal difference.

The highlights from the match are available to watch here.

Arsenal u18 lineup vs Norwich City

Ranson, King, Pedro, Onyekachukwu, Tahou, Murisa, Hamill, Hashi, Bailey-Joseph, O’Neill, Thompson

Substitutes

Ogunnaike (for Tahou, 46), Marciniak (for Thompson, 46), Lupinski (for King, 48), Phillips (for Hashi, 78), Owusu-Gyasi

What’s next?

The Arsenal u19s face Bayern Munich on Wednesday, then Club Brugge on December 10th, mirroring the first-team matches. Though technically a separate team with a different head coach to the u18 side, the teams are mostly comprised of the same players.

The Arsenal u18s are next in action away to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, November 29th at 11:00 GMT.

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