U21s Report: Leicester City 0 PSV Eindhoven 2

- PSV first teamer Gaston Pereiro-Lopez netted either side of the break 

- The Foxes can qualify for the quarter-finals with a victory over Villarreal on 2 December 

Leicester City’s Development Squad were beaten by an experienced PSV Eindhoven side in the Premier League International Cup at King Power Stadium on Monday evening. 

The visitors fielded a strong side and it was Gaston Pereiro-Lopez – a Uruguayan youth international who has played a number of times for PSV’s first team – who would go on to win the game. 

The attacking midfielder struck either side of half-time to earn PSV their second win in Group C, leapfrogging City in turn. 

Leicester had the chance to score themselves as Jacob Blyth, Michael Cain and Admiral Muskwe all went close, but it was the Dutch outfit who would emerge victorious at a rainy King Power Stadium. 

The Foxes sat second in Group C heading into the clash with PSV having beaten Norwich City 2-1 in October, while the Dutch outfit were third after a 3-0 win against Norwich and a 4-0 defeat to Villarreal. 

City’s intent was evident from the start as after just seven minutes, a powerful header from Blyth flew wide, while Joe Dodoo saw his low effort blocked deep in the PSV box by Nicolas Isimat-Nirin. 

Max Bramley was first called into action on 12 minutes as he did well to tip away forward Florian Jozefzoon’s low effort, before Bramley was on hand again two minutes later. 

Rai Vloet latched onto a loose back pass and raced through, drawing two stunning point-blank saves out of Bramley before hammering a third effort wide. 

The visitors were on the front foot and only Bramley’s quick thinking would keep the game goalless as the shot-stopper clawed the ball away from the feet of Kenneth Paal. 

Both sides traded blows as Matty Miles first sent his strike over the bar, before Pereiro-Lopez was off target at the other end. 

Pereiro-Lopez would find the target five minutes before the break though, as the Uruguayan youth international slotted in at the back post past the defiant Bramley. 

Forward Dodoo came close to hauling City level in first-half stoppage time, but he saw his effort saved by the feet of Luuk Koopmans and it was PSV who went into the break leading 1-0. 

The Dutch outfit nearly doubled their lead in the second period as Vloet sent a strike crashing onto Bramley’s upright with 58 minutes on the clock. 

Just a minute later, Bramley again stood firm to deny the advancing Vloet, before Jack Barmby had an effort deflected just wide of the mark. 

But as City looked for an equaliser, PSV struck again through Pereiro-Lopez, who converted from close range to make it 2-0 just after the hour mark. 

Substitute Danny Rowe side-footed wide with 10 minutes to play, while midfielder Cain drilled a strike goal bound that Koopmans did well to hold onto. 

Muskwe, who has so far scored 13 goals for the Club’s Under-18s this campaign, then took a neat touch before seeing his powerful strike tipped over by Koopmans in injury time. 

Although beaten, the Foxes can still qualify for the quarter-finals with a victory over Villarreal at King Power Stadium on Wednesday 2 December (7pm kick-off). 

CITY: Bramley, Johnson (Sesay 63), Barmby, McCourt (c), Moore, Kipre (Muskwe 80), Miles, Cain, Blyth, Dodoo, Fox (Rowe 63) 

SUBS NOT USED: Percival, Smith-Varnham, Choudhury 

PSV: Koopmans, Van Vlerken, Isimat-Nirin, Leemans, Groenendijk (Heesakkers 78), Schaars (c), Pereiro-Lopez, Rommens, Vloet, Paal (Blummel 88), Jozefzoon (Sanou 90) 

SUBS NOT USED: Konings, Bertrams 

GOALS: Pereiro-Lopez 40, 62 

ATTENDANCE: 3,380 

REFEREE: Michael D’Aguilar