Aspire Academy’s under-13 football team emerged victorious last week against Atletico Madrid of Spain and Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany in the latest edition of the Academy’s Tri-Series tournament.
The Academy’s youngsters were dominant in their opening match against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Aspire Zone’s outdoor pitches, with Rashid al-Abdulla and Abdullah Feroun scoring two brilliant goals in a 2-0 victory.
The following day, Aspire battled Atletico Madrid in another thrilling encounter. Al-Abdulla again struck with precision in the 17th minute to give Aspire Academy’s team the lead. They then went on to defend their advantage as Atletico searched for an equaliser in vain until the final whistle ended proceedings 1-0.
Commenting on his team’s victory, Aspire Academy U-13 Head Coach, Filipe Sanchez Mateos, said: “Atletico are a top side and you saw how our boys had to focus and work hard to achieve this win. This is what we look for in this competition: tough and challenging games that require mental as well as physical strength. 
“The team has made us proud of the enormous amount of work that so many people put into these preparations. I am most delighted for the boys, however, as they took on two really good teams in Eintracht Frankfurt and Atletico and still emerged victorious”.
The series also featured U-15 and U-14 age group tournaments. Atletico ran out victorious in both of these, which meant Aspire’s U-13 side was therefore the only thing preventing Atletico from returning home with a clean sweep of the entire series.
The opportunity to play against opposition from some of the world’s most established footballing countries exposes the Academy’s players to different playing styles, management philosophies and tactics from around the globe.
This makes the Tri-Series football tournament a vital part of Aspire Academy’s commitment to enabling the sporting success of its student-athletes while providing a chance for students to compete head-to-head with world leading football clubs.
The Tri-Series season continues with LA Galaxy from USA and Olympiacos from Greece. Aspire Academy will host the 1999 and 2001 generations from March 26th to 29th, with participants playing against equivalent teams from Aspire Academy.