November International Round-Up: Men’s Intermediate Teams

There was plenty of action across the Cymru men’s intermediate teams during the November international window.

In addition to fixtures for the senior team and Cymru U21, the MU19 and MU17 sides were also in action across Europe.

Craig Knight’s Cymru MU19 squad faced Japan, the USA and Germany in a preparatory tournament as part of their build-up to the 2026 UEFA U19 EURO Finals, which will be hosted in north Wales. 

The opening match produced late drama as Josh Gentles and Will Grainger found the net for Cymru in a game that looked set to head to a penalty shoot-out. However, Cruz Allen stepped up in stoppage time with a stunning long-range free-kick, curling the ball into the bottom corner to seal a memorable 3–2 victory over Japan.

Cymru continued their strong form in their second fixture with a hard-fought 1–1 draw against the USA. Makenzie Bradbury opened the scoring for Knight’s side, but Jonathan Sore equalised midway through the second half. After neither team could find a winner in regular time, the match was decided on penalties, where Cymru held their composure to secure their second consecutive victory of the tournament.

Their final match proved more challenging as Cymru fell to a 3–0 defeat against three-time EURO winners Germany. Goals from Jamie Schudles, Jykese Fields and Otto Stange were enough to hand Cymru their first loss of the week in Denbigh.

Elsewhere, Chris Gunter’s Cymru MU17 squad travelled to Portugal to begin their UEFA U17 EURO qualifying campaign with matches against Slovenia, Liechtenstein and the host nation.

The opening game ended in a 2–1 defeat to Slovenia, with Cymru conceding twice within the first 33 minutes. Shea Pita pulled one back early in the second half, but despite pushing for an equaliser, the goal proved only a consolation.

Cymru responded superbly in their second match, earning an impressive 1–1 draw against Portugal. The hosts took a 62nd-minute lead through Semedo Anderson, but Cardiff City’s Axel Donczew struck late to secure a valuable point for Gunter’s side.

Cymru finished the qualifying round in stunning fashion with an 11–0 victory over Liechtenstein. A relentless attacking display saw hat-tricks from Bobby Lewis and Paul Ujobolo Mereno, a brace from Jacob Norris and further goals from Alex Godfrey, Leon Scarlett and Donczew, who scored for the second consecutive match.