Two Nigeria-eligible forwards net braces as Chelsea youth team beat West Ham in 7-goal thriller

Nigeria-eligible forwards Tyrique George and Josh Ajala netted a brace apiece as Chelsea U18s beat West Ham 4-3 in an U18 Premier League clash played at the Cobham Training Ground on Saturday afternoon.

Daniel Rigge opened the scoring in the 16th from the penalty spot to give West Ham the lead before Donnell McNeily restored parity for the hosts at minute 25.

There were no more goals scored in the first half as both sides struggled to build on their momentum early in the game.

George put Chelsea 2-1 up in the 56th minute, hammering the ball into the near post with his left foot and would give his side a two-goal goal cushion a minute later.

Reiss Russell-Denny played a through pass to the England youth international who flicked the ball home to register his second of the game and bag his 8th goal in this season's U18 Premier League.

Ato Ampah bagged the young Blues fourth of the afternoon in the 59th minute, slotting the ball past the goalkeeper after going behind the West Ham defense.

Ajala turned the game on its head in the 76th minute, capitalizing on a quick break to give West Ham a lifeline and give his former side a scare.

Three minutes before the stoppage time, the 17-year-old curled the ball into the bottom corner to provide a dramatic ending to the clash.

The young striker has now netted 13 goals in the U18 Premier League this season.

The triumph has taken coach Hassan Sulaiman's young Chelsea's side to the top of the table with three outstanding games yet to be played.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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