Leeds United complete behind-closed-doors friendlies with Paderborn clash and Farke family derby — YEP 26/7/25

By Graham Smyth

Leeds United played their second behind-closed-doors pre-season friendly in Germany on Saturday afternoon.

Leeds United played their second and final behind-closed-doors friendly of pre-season with a visit to German second tier side Paderborn.

The Whites followed up Tuesday's win over SC Verl with a 3-2 victory over a side that boasted Daniel Farke's son in their midfield. Goals came from Joel Piroe, Willy Gnonto and Lukas Nmecha in an often physical affair.

Farke was without the injured Isaac Schmidt and Sebastiaan Bornauw, while teenage pair Sam Chambers and Harry Gray missed out through minor issues.

It took a pair of blocks in front of goal to prevent the hosts from going ahead as Leeds defended the game's first corner.

Joel Piroe got his body in the way of a shot and then Joe Rodon nodded clear the resulting set-piece.

Seven minutes had gone before Leeds could launch an attack and their first was a simple, quick passing move. Joe Rodon to Jayden Bogle to Dan James and his cross curled in dangerously but not close enough to Piroe in the middle.Less than two minutes later the Whites went close after having a go on the opposite flank.

Anton Stach sent Gabriel Gudmundsson away, his cross found James at the back stick and the winger could only sidefoot wide.

A cagey, even contest developed. Farke's son Luis Engelns looked to get on the ball as often as he could for Paderborn while Ethan Ampadu sought to dictate for Leeds.

Jaka Bijol made a solid start, but Paderborn striker Nick Batzner still managed to find enough space to control and fire the ball right to Laurin Curda who raced to the area and brought a good stop from Karl Darlow.

A combination of Bijol and Rodon foiled Curda's next foray into the final third as a Leeds side very much finding their way struggled to dominate.

There was fluidity in the way Leeds wanted to build up in possession, the idea was there but there was frustration in the execution. James gave the ball away, Paderborn swept forward again and Lucas Copado's effort went wide.

On the half hour mark Rodon sensed a chance to step forward and win the ball high up the pitch, Stach took over 30 yards from goal and hearing a shout, cleverly reversed the ball into the path of Piroe who buried it for a 1-0 lead.

Referee for the game was once again Henry Schroder and for the second time in the space of a week he pinged a Leeds keeper for holding onto the ball for too long.

Darlow fell foul of the new law despite being in the process of clearing, much to the disgust of Farke on the sideline.

One of Leeds' better passing moves in the first half saw them exercise patience before injecting a bit of zip, Ao Tanaka firing it to Stach who fed Bogle. James hung up a cross to the back post and Piroe got something on it but Dennis Seimen smothered it.

Farke made six changes at the break but Bijol remained on the pitch and got his sizeable frame in the way of Batzner's early second half shot to deflect it for a corner.One of Farke's replacements was quickest to make an impression after the break. Willy Gnonto seized upon a poor pass, jinked inside one challenge into space and got his head down to drill the ball into Seimen's bottom corner.

With 55 gone Leeds were 2-0 up and in complete control.Leeds changed their three-man midfield with half an hour to go and Brenden Aaronson and Ilia Gruev wasted no time in getting involved on both sides of the ball. But it was Gnonto who continued to shine brightest of the substitutes, linking up silkily to help Leeds keep possession under pressure in their own half.

A third goal almost arrived when Aaronson whipped in a cross and Nmecha fired it goalwards first time only for Seimen to produce a superb save. When a net did bulge next it was at the other end, Paderborn working the ball right for Curda to cut back into the bath of veteran Adriano Grimaldi whose sweetly-struck finish gave Illan Meslier no chance.

Leeds restored their advantage somewhat fortuitously with 11 minutes left. Pascal Struijk's header from Jack Harrison's free-kick was saved initially and then spilled by Siemen and Nmecha was there to poke home from two yards. Grimaldi took advantage of lenient officiating to come close to his and Paderborn's second before the final whistle.

Harrison went down under a challenge, play went on and Grimaldi smashed the ball off Meslier's far post. But they were not to be denied and with 89 played and Bijol on the turf in apparent pain, Mika Baur sidefooted in to make it 3-2 and complete the scoring.