Four Newcastle talents suffer heartbreak as Young Lions fall just short in UEFA final

Four Newcastle United youngsters finished as runners-up for England after the Under-18s suffered a 2-0 defeat to Spain in the UEFA Friendship Cup final in Switzerland.

Michael Mills, Kyran Thompson, Sam Alabi and Roman Dowell had all received their first international call-ups at Under-18 level for the tournament, with all four enjoying valuable experience across the competition.

Thompson starts as England fall short in final

Kyran Thompson was the only one of Newcastle’s quartet to feature in the final, starting on the right wing before being replaced after 69 minutes.

England had beaten Colombia, Egypt and South Korea on their way to the final, with Mills (2) and Alabi (1) scoring across those wins, but Spain took the lead through Junior in the 40th minute.

The Young Lions pushed for an equaliser after the break and twice hit the woodwork, but Spain sealed victory deep into stoppage time when Rafa Cruz made it 2-0 in the 97th minute.

Mills, Alabi, Thompson and Dowell all make their mark

Despite the disappointment of missing out on the trophy, it has been a hugely positive tournament for Newcastle’s Academy quartet.

Michael Mills finished with two goals after scoring against Colombia and then coming off the bench to net the winner against Egypt, while Sam Alabi produced a brilliant long-range strike against South Korea.

Thompson arguably saw the most minutes of the four, featuring regularly on the right wing, while goalkeeper Roman Dowell made some important saves during the group stage and continued to add to the growing list of highly-rated young goalkeepers coming through Newcastle’s Academy.

A great experience for all four of our young lads, serving as a reminder of the high-level domestic talent within our much-improved Academy.