Newcastle United young stars hammer Saudi Arabia team 6-0 | OneFootball

A Saudi Arabia side were on Tyneside yesterday to take on the young Newcastle United stars.

The NUFC Academy side hammering Saudi White Falcons 6-0 on Wednesday.

The behind closed doors match saw Michael Ndiweni get a hat-trick in the comfortable victory over these visitors from Saudi Arabia.

Al Abtal Friendly Cup official explanation of the competition:

‘AL ABTAL INT. FRIENDLY CUP is a friendly U-19 soccer competition launched in 2021. Promoted by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sports, the tournament aims to promote the future stars of international soccer and strengthen ties between the participating teams. Effort, talent and teamwork are the pillars on which the competition is built.

The second edition of AL ABTAL INT. FRIENDLY CUP is back with more teams and more excitement. The new format features a total of 18 teams from Spain, France, England, Portugal, Poland, Croatia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia.’

Newcastle United added this victory to the 2-1 win over Austria Vienna earlier on in November.

No surprise that Newcastle United are now invited to take part, with Saudi Arabia PIF owning 80% of the club.

They are in good company, as there are many major European clubs also accepting an invitation to this current competition, with the likes of Real Madrid, Monaco, Sporting Lisbon, Valencia and Marseille also taking part.

Like everything else at Newcastle United, the Academy side of things suffered under the neglect and woeful lack of investment with Mike Ashley.

A massive job for the new owners and the key staff they have appointed, to turn the club around.

As one small but important part of that, giving Newcastle’s best young players experience of playing teams from overseas, can only be a positive.

Newcastle United official :

‘Newcastle United’s Academy continued their winning start in the Al Abtal Friendly Games following a comfortable 6-0 victory against the Saudi White Falcons on Wednesday.

Newcastle’s youngsters netted three times in the first-half at the Magpies’ Little Benton Academy courtesy of Shaun Mavididi’s opener and strikes from Jamie Miley and Michael Ndiweni.

Ndiweni added a fourth shortly after the hour mark before the Throckley-born forward netted his hat-trick in the closing stages following Kyle Crossley’s composed finish.

Newcastle’s Academy were aiming to build on a 2-1 win against Austria Vienna following a 2-1 win in Salou earlier this month.

Miley, older brother of Lewis who scored his first goal for United’s under-21 side in a 2-1 defeat against Sheffield United’s second-string, saw a teasing corner parried onto the top of the crossbar by the visiting goalkeeper.

In the 17th minute, the hosts took the lead as Mavididi, who joined the Magpies’ youth set-up from Arsenal in the summer of 2021, opened the scoring in emphatic fashion.

After right-back Josh Stewart advanced towards the byline, the former Wallsend Boys Club defender cut the ball into Mavididi’s path before the 17-year-old struck a clinical effort beyond the Falcons goalkeeper.

In the 26th minute, Newcastle doubled their advantage through Miley’s impressive finish. After left-back Jordan Hackett burst down the left wing, the London-born teenager crossed the ball into the midfielder’s path, who slammed a powerful volley into the net.

Ndiweni added United’s third in the 33rd minute as the 18-year-old striker, who signed his first professional contract with his boyhood club last summer, connected with Crossley’s teasing delivery into the penalty area from the left flank before guiding the ball into the far right-hand corner.

In the second-half, Newcastle extended their lead further as Ndiweni grabbed his brace, racing onto Sean Neave’s pass before calmly lifting the ball over the Falcons goalkeeper into the net.

Newcastle goalkeeper Max Thompson, a representative of England at under-18 level, was rarely troubled in-between the sticks but did ensure United’s clean sheet with a comfortable save to deny the Falcon forward.

In the 75th minute, Crossley added Newcastle’s fifth of the afternoon as the Murton-born youngster capitalised on a defensive error, intercepting a misplaced pass before cooly slotting the ball home after rounding the Falcons goalkeeper.

Ndiweni claimed his treble in the 80th minute as the striker fired a neat first-time effort into the left-hand corner, after impressive work from Miley on the right flank, to add gloss to the scoreline.

Newcastle United Academy: Max Thompson (Taylor Ross 79), Josh Stewart, Logan Watts, Harry Powell (Luke Craggs 45), Jordan Hackett, Nathan Carlyon (c), Jamie Miley, Shaun Mavididi (Sean Neave 60), Darren Palmer (Rory Powell 45), Kyle Crossley, Michael Ndiweni.