Elijah Just scored on his Swansea City debut as Vitor Matos' side continued their pre-season preparations against Italian side Udinese. The Swans are currently in Austria, gearing up for the 2026/27 Championship campaign and saw off their opponents 2-0 thanks to Liam Cullen and Just strikes.
Strong start for Matos' side
Matos went strong with his opening team sheet, with starts for Lawrence Vigouroux, Ben Cabango, Josh Tymon, Adam Idah and Moussa Yeo. Cullen gave Swansea the lead at the Fussballplatz Mittersill in the sixth minute, tucking in a composed finish, lobbing the keeper after being put through one on one.
At the other end, new defensive recruit Stephen Welsh kept out Jesper Karlstrom, while Yeo and Ronald made contributions in the final third. The Portuguese once again used the fixture as an opportunity to give his squad minutes and he made numerous changes in the second half on 60 minutes, with Just and fellow new arrival Joseph Opoku being introduced at the turnaround. Leo Walta also saw game-time after the break after picking up a knock in midweek.
Just caps debut with goal
Just capped off his Swans debut with a goal five minutes from time with a lovely finish from just outside the area, before Opoku struck the post late on. Zan Vipotnik remained absent from proceedings, as he was in midweek.
Swansea conclude their summer schedule against Spanish club Leganes back at the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday, August 1.
Opoku aims to follow Ghana legends
Meanwhile, Opoku says he is looking to uphold the strong Ghana tradition within Swansea after signing for the club. The 20-year-old says he'd love to follow in the successful steps of the two Ayew brothers, Jordan and Andre, in SA1.
"I'm excited to be here," said Opoku. "The first training session was good. It suits my style. Andre and Jordan Ayew did great things here, I think they are legends in Ghana and they have both captained Ghana national team. I hope I can play well in Swansea to keep the Ghana name high."
"It's such a special moment for me and my family. You play football for these moments so I was so excited. I think I’m strong, powerful, a goalscorer and can get a lot of assists. I think as a player you have to challenge yourself. I think it will be tough but we will find a way as a team. I hope to get a lot of goals and assists. I think I can help the team and I think the team can help me to get the best out of myself this season."
