Leeds United U18s lost 3-0 to Oxford United U18s in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup, as they bowed out of the competition at the Kassam Stadium on Wednesday night.
A brace from Gaitlin O’Donkor and a further goal by Enrique Tiamuna ensured that Leeds exited the competition just shy of the sixth round stage.
A sharp start to the match from the Whites saw Connor Douglas' volley sail over the bar after being picked out by some clever work from Ben Andreucci. Oxford would soon punish Leeds for their failure to find the back of the net, as Tiamuna tapped home from close range in the 20th minute.
As the first-half wore on, Josh Johnson nearly doubled the lead in spectacular style for the hosts as he rattled the crossbar from 30-yards out. However, Oxford would find their second just moments later as O’Donkor calmly finished past Darryl Ombang having been played in behind the Leeds defence.
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As the teams emerged for the second-half, any hope of the Whites battling back into the game quickly disappeared. O’Donkor had his second goal of the night just two minutes after the restart, showing excellent skill to calmly bring the ball down and fire past a helpless Ombang in goal.
Leeds showed courage and resilience to battle back into the game and a handful of chances nearly came to fruition for the young Whites side. However, Oxford held on to ensure their progress into the sixth round - yet Scott Gardner's side can no doubt take pride in their journey throughout the competition this season.
Leeds' senior squad will be hoping to go one stage further than the U18s when they travel to Craven Cottage for their fifth round FA Cup tie against Fulham on Tuesday, 28 February.
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