Real Madrid secured fifth place at the under-17 Al Kass International Cup, following a hugely entertaining 4-2 victory over Spartak Moscow at the Aspire Academy yesterday.
The match was a repeat of the Group D opener, an absorbing encounter in which the Spaniards prevailed. On that occasion, both Real and Spartak had shown enough to suggest that they could go far at Al Kass 2019, but ultimately neither team fulfilled their early potential.
With 12 minutes gone, Madrid took the lead when Carles Moscardo, who scored a hat-trick sprung the offside trap to run clear and round keeper Pavel Boriskin, before rolling the ball into an empty net.
Real were well on top, so it was somewhat against the run of play when Spartak equalised at the end of the first quarter. Picking up the ball midway inside the Madrid half, Daniil Grigorev expertly threaded a pass into the path of Ilya Golyatov, and the prolific striker took a touch before dispatching a low shot that left goalkeeper Marcos Lara with no chance.
On the half hour, Moscow went in front following a skilful run into the area by Grigorev, which was abruptly curtailed by Rafael Zamora. Referee Frappart had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, and Golyatov had no hesitation in slotting home the resultant spot kick. Astonishingly, this was his seventh goal in five Al Kass matches. As the first half drew to a close, Real drew level. Carmona supplied Moscardo, who twisted and turned in the area before finishing cleverly. As the second half reached its midway point, Real regained their lead – and Moscardo completed his hat-trick – after seizing on a loose ball in the Spartak area and slotting home following great work from Andri Gudjohnsen, on as a substitute.
Astonishingly, Moscardo still wasn’t finished, adding his fourth minutes later with a carefully placed shot that evaded Moscow’s massed defensive ranks. As the game entered its final ten minutes, the effervescent Golyatov almost scored a third with a wonderful bicycle kick that cannoned off the post, with keeper Lara a mere spectator. 
In another match, Altinordu bade scored with an emphatic 3-0 victory against Ecoile Sportive du Sahel to finish seventh. Although the Tunisians had fashioned the better opportunities thus far, it was Altinordu who took the lead on 22 minutes when Furkan Metin beat his man down the right and cut back for Destan, who fired home low and hard.
It was the talented striker’s fourth goal of the tournament and, shortly before the break, he had the ball in the net once more, only for the strike to be correctly ruled out for offside.However, moments later the Turks doubled their advantage in spectacular fashion after Alihan Senturk crossed from the right for Kavrazli, whose diving header gave keeper Hassen Fradj no chance. By now, the Tunisians were largely confined to their own half as Altinordu dominated possession and created a series of half-chances. It seemed only a matter of time before a fourth goal arrived but, as the clocked ticked down, the pace of the game became increasingly sedate, and neither side was able to add to the score.
Ultimately, the young Turks had given another demonstration of their great potential, and may feel aggrieved at not finishing higher than seventh at Al Kass 2019. That this was the best they could manage is more a reflection on the strength of the field, rather than the ability of a hugely talented side.