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Queens Park Rangers manager Julien Stéphan hugs Daniel Bennie of Queens Park Rangers at full time
Plymouth Argyle v Queens Park Rangers, EFL Carabao Cup, First Round, Football, Home Park, Plymouth, UK - 12 Aug 2025
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Bennie: Proud of the team Julien: The players gave everything.
Despite their 3-2 Carabao Cup loss to Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night, Julien Stéphan was proud of his young players.
QPR led 2-0 at halftime thanks to Daniel Bennie and Rayan Kolli, but a Brendan Wiredu goal and an Owen Oseni brace in the second half helped the Pilgrims advance to the second round.
During the game, Stéphan gave Harvey Vale, Emmerson Sutton, Rumarn Burrell, Jaiden Putman, Jaylan Pearman, Tyklon Smith, and Alex Wilkie their full QPR debuts.
By the end of the game, Kalen Brunson and Ashley Trujillo, both 16 years old, and Teddy Tarbotton, 17, were on the pitch.
“It was a special game, a very special game, and I said to the players at the end that I was very proud of being their coach because they gave everything from the beginning until the end,” Stéphan told reporters.
“Plymouth had a lot of opportunities, but to be two goals up at halftime was fantastic for the young players.
“Unfortunately, we conceded too quickly in the second half but I am very proud of the players and proud to give them the opportunity to show (what they can do) and to live a new experience.”
Stéphan anticipated Plymouth’s threat after the break and believed the early stages would be critical – and so it proved.
Wiredu (48) and Oseni (54) helped Argyle level the score. “We spoke a lot at half-time with the players that the first 15 minutes will be very important,” he informed us. “They tried their hardest, but the first goal changed the momentum at the start of the second half.
“In the second half, we were less powerful, particularly on the offensive line, to create danger behind their defence. As a result, they can always stay in our half, making it difficult to play 45 minutes like this.
“But they did their best all the time.”
The R’s head coach also believes Kolli and Bennie’s goals, his first competitive strike for QPR, will benefit the pair greatly. “It’s very important for their confidence, very important for them,” he told me.
“The second goal was a movement that we worked on so it is good when you work on something and you see the day after you can score in this situation.”
There were 985 R’s fans who came to Home Park, and Stéphan was quick to praise their impact, saying: “It was incredible to see that and feel the support of the fans.
“I believe they provided a lot of strength to the players on the pitch for 96 or 97 minutes.” It was incredibly important.
“Thanks for the support – and I’m sure they will also be there for the game against Watford on Saturday.”
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