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ZIMBABWEAN midfielder Tawanda Maswanhise netted his eighth goal of the season in Leicester Under-23’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal Under-23 on Monday.
Maswanhise converted a 16th minute penalty to put his side ahead in the EPL2 clash.
The goal saw him scoring in his third successive game for the young Foxes.
The 19-year-old is a regular in the team, having started in sixteen out of eighteen appearances this season.
The performance comes at a time Maswanhise has been raising his profile at the club. He trained with the senior squad in the pre-season, and his involvement followed just weeks after he signed a new contract.
The attacker was also stand-out for the club’s Under-18s in the previous season and caught the eye of coach Brendan Rodgers towards the end of the campaign. He made his debut appearance in the first-team squad in May in a league match against Manchester United.
Coming into the clash with three successive wins under their belts, the Foxes youngsters continued their good form at the start of the calendar year, now unbeaten in four.
Two changes were made from the side that defeated Everton Under-23s last time out. In came Joe Wormleighton — for his first Development Squad start — and Will Alves, with Bayli Spencer-Adams and Shane Flynn dropping out.
The Foxes started on the front foot, showing a confidence and intensity in their play. Alves drove at the defence, teeing up Wanya Marcal-Madivadua, who cut inside and fired the game’s first shot over the crossbar.
Sammy Braybrooke, playing in a sweeper role at the heart of the defence alongside Ben Nelson and Lewis Brunt, then directed an inch-perfect pass from deep to set Wormleighton away down the right. He flicked a near-post cross into Maswanhise’s path — but the in-form forward found Arsenal captain Arthur Okonkwo equal to his near-post effort.
Arsenal’s early openings came from two Miguel Azeez strikes, the first a free-kick which wasn’t far away from troubling Brad Young, followed by a half-volley diverted narrowly wide.
After a quarter of an hour, Leicester fashioned their breakthrough. A neat through-ball from Khanya Leshabela was expertly controlled by Alves, who wriggled his way through a challenge before being brought down by Okonkwo. Maswanhise stepped up for the spot-kick and sent the ‘keeper the wrong way.
Marcal-Madivadua looked to double the advantage shortly after, but was denied by the Gunners’ shot-stopper, who made a smart low stop to keep the score at 1-0.
In a fiercely competitive half, the away side almost found a response via Jack Henry-Francis, who tried his luck from distance but was unable to find the target, before Omari Hutchinson’s cross was headed towards goal by Azeez, forcing Young into a diving save at his front post.
That was the Leicester ‘keeper’s first involvement, before Salah Oulad M’hand headed over from the resulting corner. At the other end, Brunt attacked Oliver Ewing’s corner with vigour, planting his header towards goal only for Okonkwo to hold on.
But the next goal would arrive at the opposite side of the pitch, on the stroke of half-time. Hutchinson, involved in much of Arsenal’s good play, cut inside from the left, beating Young and finding the bottom corner. — LCFC/Soccer24
Online Reporter