30 Jan 2016
Nicosia, 31 January 2016. The U12 feeder team from Aspire Academy enjoyed considerable success during their most recent trip abroad. The team participated in the “1st Cyprus International Cup” in Nicosia, winning the tournament by defeating some of the strongest academy teams from Cyprus and Greece in the process.
Between January 24 and 29, the team from Aspire played eight games, winning every one. This included a dramatic 6 – 4 victory in the final against Efthymiades, during which the team managed to claw back a 3 – 1 halftime deficit. Commenting on the performance of the team, Head Coach Fouad El Fdil said: “We played well throughout the tournament which is especially pleasing since several of the players are new to the team. This tournament was an excellent way for the team to gain valuable experience abroad. It was encouraging to see some of the older, more established players supporting the newer and younger players – helping them develop as individuals and work towards international competition standards.”
Describing the benefit of the experience for the team, he said: “This tournament together with the upcoming Tri-series in February, during which we’ll face French side FC Metz and Gabala from Azerbaijan, will be good preparation for the forthcoming “Izmir U12 Cup.” This provides the opportunity to face some of the world’s strongest U12 elite football teams including those from clubs like Manchester City, Ajax, Bayern Munich and AS Roma.”
The full results from the “Cyprus U12 Cup” are as follows:
Group stage:
Arsenal SS vs. Aspire Academy 1–2
Apoel Nicosia vs. Aspire Academy 0-1
Aspire Academy vs. Anorthosis 3-0
Omonia Nicosia vs. Aspire Academy 1-7
Aspire Academy vs. AEK Larnaca 7-1
Olympiakos Piraeus vs. Aspire Academy 0-5
Semi-final:
Aspire Academy vs. Nuovo Calcio 3-0
Final:
Efthymiades vs. Aspire Academy 4-6