October International Round-Up: Men’s Intermediate Teams

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

In addition to fixtures for the senior team and Cymru U21, the MU19, MU18, and MU17 sides were also in action across Europe as preparations continue for upcoming UEFA competitions.

Craig Knight’s Cymru MU19 squad travelled to Marbella for a testing triple-header against top-level opposition in Switzerland, the Netherlands, and England, as part of their build-up to the 2026 UEFA U19 EURO Finals, which will be hosted in North Wales.

The friendlies fixtures opened with a tough match against Switzerland, where Cymru were defeated 5-2 despite goals from Josh Salmon and a late penalty by Cardiff City’s Mannie Barton. The Swiss proved clinical in the match, with standout performances from Jamie Atangana and Andrej Vasovic, who both netted twice.

Cymru responded superbly in their second match, producing an excellent performance to secure a memorable 2-0 win over the Netherlands. Mannie Barton once again led the line, scoring both goals in a controlled display, while goalkeeper Logan Stretch impressed with a clean sheet.

In their final outing, Cymru faced a strong England side featuring Premier League talents from Arsenal and Liverpool alike. Despite a heavy defeat, the match offered invaluable experience as Cymru continue preparations for their home tournament next summer.

Meanwhile, Jon Grey’s Cymru MU18 side were in Croatia to compete in a three-game international tournament against Sweden, Ukraine, and the hosts.

Cymru started well against Sweden in the opening game, taking the lead through Alex Marcinak, but were undone by three second-half goals in a 3-1 defeat.

Their second match saw a much closer contest against Ukraine, with Cymru narrowly edged out by a single goal in a tightly fought encounter. In the final fixture against Croatia, Cymru again put in a competitive performance but were narrowly defeated by the home side 1-0 following a second-half goal.

Elsewhere, Chris Gunter’s MU17 side headed to Ferentino for a two-game series against Italy, building on their strong performances from the September window.

The opening match saw Cymru make a lightning start with Carter Heywood scoring inside two minutes. Italy equalised before half-time, and although both teams had chances, the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The second match saw a spirited performance from Cymru in a narrow 3-2 defeat. Italy raced into a two-goal lead, before Cymru battled back with a strike from Keano Conaty. Giuseppe Pipito restored the hots’s two-goal lead six minutes from time before a late strike from Shea Pita kept the pressure on until the final whistle.

Reflecting on the international window, FAW Chief Football Officer, Dr David Adams said: “Our Youth teams experienced significantly challenging opposition across this October window.

“While we saw some mixed results, the best way to develop players is to expose them to these types of opponents, and in the long term this will support the most talented players transition to our senior squad, which is the fundamental purpose of our youth national team system.”