Cymru made it two wins from two in their U19 EURO preparatory tournament with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over the USA, following a 1–1 draw after 90 minutes.
Makenzie Bradbury opened the scoring for Cymru before Jonathan Sore equalised midway through the second half. With neither side able to find a late winner, the match headed to penalties where Cymru held their nerve.
Cymru made a bright start at Stōk Cae Ras, carving out the first chance after just seven minutes. Excellent link-up play between Henry Kasvosve and Cruz Allen down the right saw Allen force goalkeeper Zac Campagnolo into a strong save. Moments later, Brayden Clarke headed narrowly wide from an Oliver Bostock corner.
The breakthrough came just before the quarter-hour mark. Bradbury reacted quickest to a loose ball on the edge of the area and fired a superb strike into the bottom corner to put Cymru ahead.
Makenzie Bradbury celebrates his goal
The visitors grew into the game after conceding, with captain Harbour Miller coming closest before the interval as his close-range effort struck the outside of the post.
USA applied increasing pressure after the break. A powerful shot from the edge of the box was bravely blocked by the Cymru defence, and moments later Miller drove through midfield only to be denied by a fine save from Logan Stretch.
Their pressure finally paid off in the 66th minute when Sore unleashed an excellent effort into the corner, beyond the reach of Stretch, to level the scores.
Both teams pushed for a decisive goal in the closing stages, but neither could find a breakthrough, sending the contest to a penalty shootout.
In the shootout, goalkeeper Logan Stretch proved the hero, saving two penalties. Will Grainger then stepped up to dispatch the winning spot-kick, securing a memorable 5-4 shootout victory for Cymru and capping off a brilliant week, having already contributed a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s win over Japan.
