Action from the match between Real Madrid and Qatar for the International Youth Tournament at the Aspire Academy recently.
The first event of Aspire Academy’s new football season concluded on Sunday night, when Real Madrid defeated Qatar 3-2 in a tight game to win the ‘International Youth Tournament’ following victories over their three opponents in the competition.
The spirited game between the Spanish side and country hosts witnessed Real overturn a two-goal deficit, in a result that showed that the unlucky Qatar team have great potential for the future.
The same night saw Kuwait edge out Oman after half time to take second place in the final standings.
As well as providing a rewarding experience for Real Madrid’s winning ‘Juvenil B’ side, the tournament also won plaudits from the youth national teams of Oman, Kuwait and Qatar for providing ideal preparation for the upcoming AFC U16-Championship in Bangkok.
Speaking about his team’s triumph in Doha, Real Madrid coach Ruben de la Red said: “I am very happy about the way my team played and the players showed a great effort throughout the entire tournament. We are very thankful for the opportunity to come and participate in this competition, because playing abroad and making such experiences is very important for the development of our young players.”
The other participating teams used the games in particular to pick up valuable match practice before the AFC youth tournament in the Thai capital.
“We were very happy with our participation, because playing games against strong teams like we did here at Aspire Academy is important for preparing for big events,” said Ibrahim Obaid, coach of Kuwait, and his words also expressed the feelings of his fellow coaches from Oman and Qatar.
Kuwait, Oman and Qatar are three of the 16 nations competing at the AFC tournament that will be held in Bangkok from September 6-20.
The top four teams at the tournament will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile next year.
Results
Aug 12: Qatar 0 drew Oman 0; Real Madrid beat Kuwait 3-0
Aug 14: Kuwait beat Qatar 2-0; Real Madrid beat Oman 7-1
Aug 17: Kuwait beat Oman 1-0; Real Madrid beat Qatar 3-2
