UEFA Youth League: Aston Villa 0-1 Viking

Aston Villa fell to defeat in the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday afternoon, narrowly losing out 1-0 against Viking at Bodymoor Heath. 

Kelvin Frimpong’s neat finish four minutes into the second half did the damage for the visiting side against Jimmy Shan’s Under-19s, who proved unable to make it back-to-back European victories.

The Young Lions pushed hard for a would-be equaliser in the closing stages after Jonathan Debes’ dismissal with over half an hour to play, but the Norwegian side defended astutely to repel Villa’s advances and leave with all three points on Matchday Three of the league phase.

Shan’s side were looking for their second Youth League win in as many weeks, after defeating Fenerbahçe 2-1 at Bodymoor last week.

And the windy and rainy October conditions were met with a poignantly battling opening period in which both sides exchanged turns to attack and wrestle momentum.

Eighteen minutes were on the clock before any sort of opportunities began to be carved out. First, attacking Viking right-back Nour Monir Al-Mabhouh whipped a ball in which Frimpong was close to connecting with.

Two minutes later, Villa came forward, though Meade’s effort from the edge of the area was straight at goalkeeper Christian Aabø Flørenæs, and at the other end immediately after, Owen Asemota had to be alert to save well from Al-Mabhouh who had cut inside onto his left foot.

Viking were carrying more of a threat in the attacking third, and Asemota was called into action again six minutes later when Elias Samuelsen Arifagic drilled goalwards from inside the area, but the Villa stopper stood firm to beat the effort away.

Asemota was being kept busy, and on the half-hour had to show good reflexes to this time claw away a goalbound header from Sondre Tveiten, after a deflected cross had fallen into his path.

But the Young Lions carried a threat of their own, and continued to push for the opener, testing Flørenæs when the ball broke for Jahmi Kellyman in the area 11 minutes before the break, but the Villa midfielder was denied by the legs of the goalkeeper as the first period drew to a close with no score.

The Villans began the second period immediately on the front foot and looking to draw first blood, going close within a minute of the restart when Meade was played in behind, but he could only fire into the side-netting from an acute angle.

Three minutes later, though, it was the visitors who instead hit the front. Al-Mabhouh was played down the right-hand side and found Frimpong unmarked at the far post, the forward finishing emphatically into the bottom corner to put the Norwegian outfit ahead.

Shan’s boys were given a helping hand when another twist was added to the tale four minutes later – Debes being dismissed for a second-bookable offence for Viking, as he halted Oscar Johnson off the ball to ensure Espen Andersen’s charges would be forced to play the final 37 minutes a player light.

And for the remainder of the affair, it was one-way traffic. Villa piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser, limiting the away side to flurries on the counter attack as they looked to make their player advantage count.

Daniel Adediran and Jack McGrath were introduced by Shan in an attempt to find a late leveller, as the remaining quarter of the encounter played out in Villa’s favour.

Josh Blake showed good trickery to jink his way into the box and get a shot off, only to be denied by a heroic block. Viking, though they sat back with 10 bodies and chose to soak up the Villa pressure, remained dangerous on the break, with the threatening Tveiten firing over on the counter attack.

But, try as they did, the Young Lions proved unable to breach a stern Viking rearguard which simply shut up shop with 10 players after Debes’ dismissal, to secure all three points and ensure Shan’s boys were left with nothing.

Villa’s Under-21s return to action in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy away at Blackpool next Tuesday (ko 7pm), before facing Barcelona in their next UEFA Youth League outing next month (Tuesday, November 3, ko 2pm).

Aston Villa: Asemota; Moss (Lloyd 81’), Carroll, Routh (c), Fortes (booked 61’); Boyd (Adediran 58’), Jenner; Johnson, Kellyman (McGrath 58’, booked 84’), Blake; Meade.

Subs (not used): Oakley (GK); Mudame, Melhuish, Atkins, Bindley, Orebowale.

Viking: Flørenæs; Al-Mabhouh (Roland 59’), Johansen, Tveit (c), Nordbø Middelthon (Bø Hansen 88’); Tveiten (Sandåker Hagen 81’), Arifagic, Bakken (Kvelvane 46’), Debes (booked 10’, dismissed 53’), Gjelsvik Steigen, Frimpong (Bjørnsen 59’).

Subs (not used): Bunrak Ravnås (GK); Abdul Rahim, Oftedal, Salvesen-Svenning.

Goals: Frimpong (49’).