YOUNG CATS’ DERBY WOE IN EPIC CUP SHOOT-OUT
SUNDERLAND UNDER-23S 2 NEWCASTLE UTD UNDER-23S 2 (AFTER EXTRA TIME; NEWCASTLE WON 11-10 ON PENALTIES): HEARTBREAKER FOR HOSTS AS MAGS REACH CUP SEMI-FINALS
Newcastle United knocked Sunderland out of the Premier League International Cup after a dramatic penalty shoot-out last night.
The old rivals’ Under-23 sides drew 2-2 after extratime at the Stadium of Light and the semi-final tie went to penalties.
Sunderland’s Jake Hackett missed the decisive penalty as Newcastle edged home in an epic shoot-out to secure a home semi-final tie against holders Porto.
The Magpies had taken the lead through a Curtis Good goal, but Lynden Gooch had struck in each half to put Elliott Dickman’s Black Cats head.
But Callum Roberts took the game into extra-time with a stunning free-kick in injury time and Newcastle won the shootout 11-10 after Hackett put his second effort over Paul Woolston’s goal.
The cup quarter-final was the first reserve derby since February 2014, when Sunderland beat Newcastle 2-0 at the Stadium of Light
Jordan Pickford was in goal for the home side that night, while Paul Dummett and Adam Armstrong were in the visiting team.
There wasn’t much experience in either starting XI this time, though Sunderland coach Dickman named Gooch and on-loan Everton defender Brendan Galloway in his team.
Ben Dawson, his Newcastle counterpart, only fielded two players – Good and Roberts – who had played a competitive first-team game for the Tynesiders.
Newcastle wingers Roberts and Victor Fernandez made some early runs down the flanks, but the home side had the game’s first real chance.
Gooch found space in the box to get a shot away, but Craig Spooner, stood in front of the line, blocked his shot and cleared the danger.
Sunderland probed away without creating a clear-cut chance before Newcastle made the breakthrough in the 28th minute.
The visitors won a freekick on the right, and Roberts’ delivery was powerfully headed home by Good.
Sunderland were behind for just 10 minutes. Gooch was brought down in the box by Mackenzie Heaney, late in the half, and referee Simeon Lucas pointed to the spot.
Gooch put his penalty into the bottom right-hand corner of Woolston’s net before running a few yards to celebrate in front of Newcastle’s noisy travelling support.
Benji Kimpioka had a deflected shot tipped over by Woolston as Sunderland turned up the heat before the half-time break.
Dickman replaced the injured Brandon Taylor with Alex Storey for the second half, and Luke Charman, leading the line for Newcastle, had a shot superbly blocked by Josh Robson.
Otherwise, chances were few and far between. Fernandez and Roberts didn’t see enough of the ball for the visitors, while Sunderland struggled to create anything in the final third of the pitch.
That all changed when Connor Shields, Sunderland’s recent signing from Scottish club Albion Rovers, broke down the left and crossed for Gooch at the far post. The American, in space, controlled the ball and shot past Woolston to put Sunderland ahead.
A number of seats were ripped up in the away end after the goal.
Newcastle pressed for an
“Gooch ran to celebrate in front of Newcastle’s noisy travelling support”
equaliser, but they couldn’t carve out any clear-cut opportunities, and Gooch, replaced by Owen Gamble, left the field to warm applause from home fans late in the game.
Just as Sunderland looked set to book their place in the last four, Galloway conceded an injury-time free-kick.
Roberts stepped up and beat Max Stryjek with a superb 30-yard freekick.
Robson conceded a penalty in the first period of ex- tra time, following a foul on Owen Gallacher, but Roberts’ spot-kick was pushed away by Stryjek. Newcastle saw more of the ball in the extra half hour, but couldn’t make their possession count. Charman put a header wide from a deep cross from Callum Smith in the second period, and Good and Gallacher struck the woodwork. The game went to a lengthy shootout – both goalkeepers scored their spot kicks – and Hackett’s miss saw Newcastle win 11-10.