Crystal Palace Under-21s Draw with Real Sociedad in Premier League International Cup Opener

Crystal Palace Under-21 team commenced their defence of the Premier League International Cup with a draw against Real Sociedad. The match ended in a 2-2 stalemate at the VBS Community Stadium, with Adler Nascimento scoring his first goal of the season and Jemiah Umolu briefly giving Palace the lead.

Head Coach Darren Powell made changes to the lineup, returning Seán Grehan, David Obou, Luke Browne, and Adler Nascimento to the starting eleven. These substitutions followed their previous draw against Leeds, with Jake Grante, Joe Sheridan, Franco Umeh, and Asher Agbinone making way. While Obou and Grehan marked their first starts of the season, Umeh and Agbinone had recently been part of the first-team squad in their match against QPR in the Carabao Cup.

The match got off to a challenging start for Crystal Palace, as they conceded a goal within the first 30 seconds. Real Sociedad’s Sydney Osazuwa capitalized on a loose ball and scored swiftly to give the visitors an early advantage. Despite this setback, Palace attempted to retaliate quickly, with Zach Marsh narrowly missing a shot after good play from Obou and Nascimento.

As the first half progressed, Real Sociedad aimed to extend their lead, forcing Palace’s goalkeeper, Louie Moulden, to execute a pivotal save from a long-range attempt. Nonetheless, Palace began to find their rhythm towards the latter part of the half. Hindolo Mustapha had a notable effort deflected wide, and just before halftime, Nascimento equalized with a remarkable solo effort, darting past three defenders to score from inside the penalty area.

The second half started with Sociedad applying pressure, yet the Palace defense remained solid. As the game reached the hour mark, Caleb Kporha’s excellent work on the right-wing resulted in a cross to Umolu, who scored to put Palace ahead. However, the lead was short-lived as Unax Agote scored for Sociedad, capitalizing on a failed clearance by Palace’s defense.

Both teams continued to search for a winning goal, with Palace’s captain, Justin Devenny, having a shot saved while Moulden was instrumental in fending off late Sociedad attacks. The draw places Crystal Palace second in Group D, trailing RB Leipzig by two points.