A late goal for OH Leuven meant Brentford B were narrowly beaten in Belgium on Wednesday morning at the King Power at Den Dreef Stadium.
The young Bees, who will compete in the final of the Premier League Cup on Tuesday 9 May, headed overseas for a hard fought test against a side from the top tier of Belgian football who were rounding off their 2022/23 season.
It was a match that the Bees had to suffer through at times as they didn’t see much of the ball against their senior opponent, but they were often resolute defensively and it provided another brilliant learning curve for the players.
Key moments from the match in Leuven
Brentford started brightly, and they were composed in possession against a physical Leuven side. The first chance of the game came for the hosts as captain Mathieu Maertens was found in the inside right channel. Despite the narrow angle he powered a shot goalwards but it crashed against the outside of the post.
Michael Olakigbe in action for the young Bees
On 13 minutes Leuven went in front and it came through Nathan Opoku. A central attack which stemmed from the left saw a shot sent goalwards from the edge of the box which Ben Winterbottom saved but the ball found its way to the Leuven forward who slotted home to make it 1-0.
The Bees' main threat came on the counter-attack with the speed of Michael Olakigbe more than giving the Belgian side something to think about. On more than once occasion the young winger did well to drive forward and cross which, credit to the hosts, they managed to deal with frequently in the first period.
The likes of Tristan Crama and Nico Jones both made good blocks as they bravely charged down the Leuven attack whilst shortly after the half hour mark Mousa Tamari curled over form the right-hand side.
It wasn’t a game which was full of chances as the hosts kept possession but didn’t find it easy to get in behind the Brentford back line as Daniel Oyegoke was forced into another impressive block on 66 minutes as the Bees were now facing a side who had made nine changes at half-time.
A counter on 68 minutes could well have had Nathan Young-Coombes in on goal as J’Neil Bennett made an impact from the bench when he combined well with Alex Gilbert. The captain then drove down the right before delivering a low cross into the box aimed for Young-Coombes but the keeper was out quickly to collect before he could get a shot away.
The Bees kept looking to get back into the match and they got their goal when Olakigbe once again threatened down the left before he provided a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Ryan Trevitt who finished expertly to make it 1-1 in the sunshine in Leuven.
Trevitt was on the scoresheet once again for the Bees
On 85 minutes Leuven had an effort crash against the bar following a wide free-kick before the game was decided when Joren Dom struck with four to play to give the home side the victory in what was another brilliant test for the B team.
Saunders pleased with B team efforts
Assistant coach Sam Saunders couldn't fault the efforts of his young players in Belgium.
Adedokun says Leuven test another great learning curve
Defender Val Adedokun says the side enjoyed coming up against experience and quality in what was another great learning experience for the side.
Brentford B at the Gtech!
Our young Bees have two matches scheduled at the Gtech Community Stadium in May with the first a Premier League Cup Final against Blackburn Rovers on 9 May before they face Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad on 19 May in the Robert Rowan Invitational.