Late drama and extra-time heartbreak for United u19s at the REWE Junior Cup

Manchester United Under-19s rounded out the REWE Junior Cup on Sunday. United began with a second group stage against Club Brugge and Borussia Mönchengladbach before moving on to the knockout stages. The young Red Devils were without top scorer Noah Ajayi, though, as the 17-year-old sat out for the day with an unexpected injury. Club Brugge Colin Little opted for the riskier tactic of a sweeper keeper on the final day of the tournament, with Rafe McCormack taking up the position. It did not go to plan early on, though, as McCormack’s pass was intercepted, giving Club Brugge an open goal to score into. Captain Albert Mills pulled it back to 1-1, finishing the rebound from Yuel Helafu’s effort. The Belgian side regained the lead before McCormack ventured forward and scored. The sides swapped goals again to tie it up at 3-3 with less than 30 seconds to go. It was full of drama at the end as Helafu scrambled in a rebound with just seconds remaining to earn the win for United. Manchester United 4-3 Club Brugge Back and forth match sees United come out on top as Yuel Helafu scores the winner in the dying seconds. ⚽️⚽️Mills⚽️McCormack⚽️Helafu#MUFC #MUAcademy #RJC2026 https://t.co/Dw9RQDtbyy pic.twitter.com/THB7LIjnhI — RedYouthUnited (@RedYouthUnited) January 11, 2026 Borussia Monchengladbach United had found their groove by now and were on top throughout the match with Mönchengladbach, but just could not find the breakthrough. Helafu had his effort blocked off the goal line before Jacob Watson hit the crossbar. Against the run of play, McCormack tripped with the ball to give the German side an easy goal. The opposition repaid the favour, though, with Helafu intercepting a pass high up before quickly finishing into the empty goal to finish 1-1. United finished second in the group on goal difference, which was enough to put them through to the quarter-finals. REWE Junior Cup Second Group Stage 2026 TeamGames PlayedPointsGoals for:againstGoal difference 1Borussia Monchengladbach243:12 2Manchester United245:41 3Club Brugge203:6-3 Fortuna Dusseldorf – Quarter-finals The quarter-finals saw a rematch with Fortuna Düsseldorf, whom United defeated 2-1 on day two of the tournament. Darin Quiala-Tito had United’s marker, though, after scoring in the first match. The 18-year-old put Düsseldorf up with two goals. United responded late on through Yuel Helafu, who scored twice within a minute to drag it into extra time. The German side ultimately came out on top, though, to knock out United as Ahmad Hassan finished with a delicate chip over Cameron Byrne-Hughes. Manchester United 2-3 Fortuna Düsseldorf Fortuna Düsseldorf exact their revenge on yesterday’s loss to United. Yuel Helafu’s brace not enough as United knocked out in extra time in the quarter finals. #MUFC #MUAcademy #RJC2026 pic.twitter.com/Ny05ZzsvEx — RedYouthUnited (@RedYouthUnited) January 11, 2026 Statistics United squad: Byrne-Hughes, Hardy, Helafu, J. Watson, McCormack, Mills, McEvoy, Brown, Ajayi, O’Brien, Bradbury REWE Junior Cup Scorers – Day 3 PlayerNumber of Goals Noah Ajayi9 Louie Bradbury7 Jay McEvoy6 Yuel Helafu6 Junior Brown5 Albert Mills4 Sam O’Brien2 Jacob Watson2 Rafe McCormack2 The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Colm Murphy A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years. You can follow him X: RedYouthUnited.