Thursday, May 6, 2010

Connor Clifford captains Chelsea to victory












Ireland under-21 international Connor Clifford has captained Chelsea to victory in the FA Youth Cup final, scoring the winner in a 2-1 (3-2 agg) victory over Aston Villa.

More than 10,000 people were at Stamford Bridge to see the Blues claim the first of three potential trophies this season, with the Premier League and FA Cup still well within their grasp.

With the scores level at 1-1 from the first leg, Villa took an early lead and claimed an away goal courtesy of a header from striker Kofi Poyser on 33 minutes.

That goal was harsh on Chelsea who had dominated for large spells, but it wasn't until the 65th minute that they drew level as Marko Mitrovic equalised with a close-range finish after some neat play from Jacopo Sala out on the wing.

Chelsea pushed for a winner but with just minutes left on the clock, it looked unlikely to come until skipper Clifford found some space 20 yards from goal and let fly with a rocket which sailed staight to the back of the net.

'It is a dream come true,' Clifford told the official Chelsea website. 'I am delighted. We had personal goals at the beginning of the season and I said mine was to lift the Youth Cup as captain, and I have done it now. It hasn't sunk in yet, it is brilliant.'

No comments:

Post a Comment