From May 9 to 11, our U16s travelled to London to take part in the Liam Brady Cup. This prestigious tournament, held at the academy of top club Arsenal FC, welcomed teams from all over the world. After a strong weekend, the Mauves finished in second place.
Every year, the Arsenal Academy hosts the Liam Brady Cup, an international tournament named after the former Gunners player. This edition once again featured some top names. RSCA were drawn in a group with Rosenborg (Norway), Lech Poznań (Poland), and host club Arsenal, who had won the previous year’s tournament.
Sporting kicked off the tournament on Friday with a top clash against Arsenal. After a thrilling opening match full of quality play from the Mauves, the score ended in a 2-2 draw. The second match, against Rosenborg, also finished level (0-0). Our youngsters secured a 1-2 win over Polish side Lech Poznań.
In the quarter-finals, they faced Shamrock Rovers from Ireland. With the match tied at the end of regular time, a penalty shootout was needed to decide the winner. RSCA came out on top and advanced to the semi-finals against Japanese side Avispa Fukuoka. This time, no shootout was needed: a 1-3 win secured a place in the final.
In a tough final against Sparta Praha (Czech Republic), our youngsters lost 0-2. The Mauves thus finished second after a very strong performance at Arsenal’s academy. Sporting players were also named Man of the Match in four of the six games. In addition to Noa Ojea, Noa Kagé, Jayden Onia Seke, and Rami Lougmani also won the trophy.
A great experience and an impressive result for our U16s. Congratulations, young Mauves.
