28 Jan 2026
Aspire Academy’s under-17 team lost on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals of the Alkass International Cup 2026, after a 2-2 draw in normal time.
It was a bright start for hosts Aspire Academy as they created two chances that they were unable to convert, with the PSG keeper saving one and another shot put over the bar by Dhiaeddine Larbi Benyatla.
PSG took the lead in the 16th minute when Elie Karim made the most of a failed clearance by the Aspire Academy defence to fire home.
Just four minutes later, the French side were reduced to 10-men when VAR intervened to upgrade a yellow card for Harryl Mboma to a straight red after he pulled back on Aspire Academy captain Mohsain Abdulla Alhajri.
Aspire Academy eventually drew level in the 64th minute when PSG’s Josue Dasilva put the ball into his net under pressure from Aspire Academy’s Osama Ibrahim Mohamed, after good work on the left by Dhiaeddine Larbi Benyatla.
Just three minutes later, Josue Dasilva made up for his error by restoring PSG’s lead when he scored after Aspire Academy failed to clear the ball.
Aspire Academy continued to battle hard in the closing stages and were rewarded in the third minute of injury time as Dhiaeddine Larbi Benyatla equalised to force the match to penalties.
The shoot-out began with both teams converting their first four spot kicks before Dhiaeddine Larbi Benyatla’s effort was saved by Maxine Astruc to leave Maoula Niakate to seal the win for PSG.
The victory means Thursday’s final will be between PSG and Spanish side Barcelona, who beat Morocco’s Mohammed VI Football Academy 3-1 in the other semi-final.
The bronze medal match will also take place on Thursday between hosts Aspire Academy and Mohammed VI.
Japan’s Keshiwa Reysol finished 5th overall thanks to wins over Scotland’s Rangers (2-0) and then Etoile Du Sahel (4-1), who reached the play-off by beating Vietnam’s PVF 1-0.
Rangers ended their campaign with a 4-0 win over PVF in the play-off for 7th and 8th places.