Report & Highlights: Youthful Palace beaten by Augsburg in second encounter

Summary:

• All change for Palace in their second game of the day against Augsburg, following an earlier 3-1 win.
• Academy starlets Luke Browne, Mofe Jemide and Rio Cardines all handed starts.
• 13: Hughes’ volley is blocked on the edge of the box.
• 27: Nketiah pulls up and Esse takes his place.
• 28: Cardines races clear but sees his effort blocked.
• 30: Hughes’ deflected effort trickles narrowly wide.
• HT: Augsburg 0-0 Palace
• 47: Bauer nods wide for the Bundesliga side from a set-piece.
• 53: Maier’s side-footed effort deflects over as Augsburg push for the opener.
• 59: Rexhbeçaj’s snap-shot from distance forces Benítez into a smart save.
• 71: Benamar comes on for Palace for his inaugural first-team appearance.
• 76: Cardines goes close twice in quick succession; both efforts are well-saved by Labrovic.
• 82 – GOAL: Dardari guides home a first-time cross for Augsburg.
• 85: Jemide almost forces an immediate equaliser, but his header is kept out.
• 87: Benamar also goes close, but is crowded out by Labrovic.
• FT: Augsburg 1-0 Palace

Please note the highlights below cover both matches on the afternoon, including our 3-1 win earlier in the day.

Earlier in the day, a more experienced Palace XI had secured a 3-1 win over last season’s 12th-placed Bundesliga side.

Our final pre-season fixture of 2025/26 saw Manager Oliver Glasner name a more youthful starting XI on a proud day for the Academy, with 19-year-old centre-back Luke Browne, 18-year-old Mofe Jemide, 20-year-old Kaden Rodney and 19-year-old Rio Cardines all handed starts.

Will Hughes captained the side, whilst the likes of Walter Benítez, Nathaniel Clyne, Jefferson Lerma, Eddie Nketiah and Odsonne Edouard all also started the game.

In truth, it proved a quieter, more stop-start affair than the earlier match, as both teams struggled for attacking fluency – but the experience provided to our youthful players, as well as the match minutes attained across the squad, will both be of great benefit in the new season.

In the opening period, chances proved few and far between, although Hughes did twice come close with efforts blocked on the edge of the box, and Cardines – from a breakaway led by Justin Devenny – saw his curling effort also denied by a brave Augsburg block.

Nketiah was forced off midway through the first-half through injury, allowing Romain Esse to come on, and the winger was almost on the scoresheet immediately afterwards, but miscued from the rebound following Cardines’ effort.

The closest either side would come to a breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes was another Hughes strike – teed up by Edouard – which took a hefty deflection and trickled narrowly wide of the bottom-left corner.

After the break, Augsburg came out the brighter of the two teams; Maximilian Bauer had a good opening from a corner immediately after the restart, but headed wide, whilst Arne Maier found space inside the Palace box, but curled over the bar via a deflection.

Recent arrival Benítez impressed for Palace in goal, making a smart plunging save from Elvis Rexhbecaj’s long-distance drive, and also claimed well when the German side began to go long in their attempt to make a breakthrough.

There would be another proud moment for the Palace Academy 20 minutes from time as 17-year-old Dean Benamar – who signed his first professional contract earlier this summer – also entered the fray at left wing-back.

But it was on the opposite side five minutes later that Cardines twice went close in quick succession – his first strike, an opportunistic near-post effort, was well saved by goalkeeper Nediljko Labrović, but his second forced the Croatia international into an even better stop, as his fierce right-footed drive across goal was somehow denied by an outstretched palm.

With eight minutes left, Augsburg would take the lead with the ultimately decisive goal, as Aiman Dardari guided home first-time from Robin Fellhauer’s arching cross.

Even then, however, Palace’s youngsters rose to the challenge, as Jemide leapt high to meet Hughes’ set-piece delivery, only to be denied by Labrović.

Benamar, too, had a late opportunity to make a remarkable day even more memorable, racing onto Devenny’s through ball but finding the angle for his shot shut down by the Augsburg ‘keeper.

Nevertheless, it was a proud day for many a Palace player – as a well as a valuable one for the overall fitness of the squad.

Next up: Wembley again.

Palace: Benítez (GK) (Matthews, 64), Jemide, Browne, Rodney, Clyne (Ahamada, 71), Hughes, Lerma (Benamar, 71), Cardines, Devenny, Nketiah (Esse, 28), Edouard (Rak-Sakyi, 81).

Augsburg: Labrovic (GK), Banks, Bauer, Shlotterbeck, Koudossou (Dong, 61), Fellhauer, Rexhbeçaj, Pedersen (Sorg, 74), Maier (Breithaupt, 61), Mounie (Essende, 61), Saad (Dardari, 70).

Subs: Jäger (GK).

As It Happened