East London Athletic Suffer Heavy Defeat At Home

Match Report

East London Athletic Suffer Heavy Defeat in Friendly

East London Athletic faced off against their U16 counterparts in a friendly match at West Ham Memorial Park on 22 June 2025, with kick-off at 6:20pm. The match ended in a disappointing 3-7 defeat for East London Athletic, showcasing a challenging outing for the home side.

The home team adopted a 4-2-1-3 formation, with Mohammed in goal, flanked by a back four of Charlie Owens on the right, Niang Mahmoud and Samuel in central defence, and Isofareh Mahmoud on the left. The midfield was anchored by Hayden Wooddeson and Crayden Lawler, while Yabets Mihre played in an attacking midfield role. Up front, Daniel Annang and Ibrahim Kafando operated on the right and left flanks respectively, with King Mujahid leading the line as the central striker. The formation aimed to provide both defensive solidity and attacking flair, with the midfield tasked with linking play and supporting the forwards.

The substitutes for this match included Anton Pehlivanov, who would later be introduced to the action.

The match began with East London Athletic showing promise, and they took an early lead in the 10th minute when Ibrahim Kafando found the net, converting a short pass from Yabets Mihre inside the box with his right foot. Just five minutes later, Kafando struck again, doubling the advantage with another close-range finish, this time assisted by King Mujahid.

However, the tide turned dramatically as the opponents responded with three unanswered goals. The first came in the 25th minute, followed by another in the 35th minute, leaving East London Athletic trailing 2-3 as the first half drew to a close.

In a tactical adjustment, Anton Pehlivanov was introduced in the 35th minute, replacing Daniel Annang, as the home side sought to regain control. The first half concluded shortly after, with the score at 2-3.

The second half commenced with East London Athletic hoping to claw back the deficit, but disaster struck just four minutes in when the opponents scored again in the 44th minute. A further blow came in the 51st minute, extending the lead to 2-5.

In a bid to change the momentum, Pehlivanov was substituted off for Hayden Wooddeson in the 60th minute. However, the opponents continued their dominance, scoring yet again in the 65th minute, pushing the score to 2-6.

Despite the mounting pressure, East London Athletic found a glimmer of hope in the 73rd minute when Daniel Annang scored a diving header, assisted by Yabets Mihre, bringing the score to 3-6. Unfortunately, the opponents responded swiftly, netting their seventh goal in the 77th minute, sealing a comprehensive victory.

The match concluded with East London Athletic unable to recover from a devastating second half, leaving them to reflect on a challenging performance. Samuel was recognised as the standout player of the match, despite the heavy defeat