By Milcah Tanimu
London-born Nigerian defender Mandela Egbo marked his first goal for Colchester United in their 3-0 victory over Arsenal U21 in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy on Tuesday night at the JobServe Community Stadium in Essex.
Egbo, who was part of England’s 2014 U17 European Championship-winning squad, contributed to Colchester’s dominant performance. The game saw Tom Hopper open the scoring with a tap-in from Oscar Thorn’s assist. Arsenal’s Nathan Butler-Oyedeji had a chance to equalize, but Colchester’s goalkeeper Tom Smith made a crucial save.
The U’s went 2-0 up before halftime thanks to a low strike from Harry Anderson. Early in the second half, Egbo sealed the win with a brilliant curling shot from the edge of the box, making it 3-0.
Having joined Colchester from Charlton Athletic in 2023, Egbo had played 49 games before netting his first goal for the League Two club. The win eliminated Arsenal from the competition, as they finished third in Group M after Leyton Orient’s 2-1 victory over MK Dons.
