Wigan Athletic’s promising forward, Maleace Asamoah, delivered a spirited performance and found the back of the net, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers U-21 in their EFL Trophy Northern Group A encounter at The Brick Community Stadium on Tuesday night.

After Tom Edozie handed Wolves an early lead, Asamoah restored parity in the 29th minute with a composed finish following a slick counterattack orchestrated by Jensen Weir. The English-born Ghanaian’s goal lifted the home fans, as Wigan grew into the game, dictating tempo and showing attacking intent throughout.

However, their efforts went unrewarded. Despite Asamoah’s tireless 90-minute display, the Latics were undone late on when Mateus Mané converted an 88th-minute penalty to secure all three points for the visitors.

Wigan will now turn their attention to their upcoming League One clash against Wycombe Wanderers on October 11, as they look to bounce back from the narrow loss.