Cejas Juan Bautista helped Estudiantes FC snatch a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur with a 89th minute goal to progress into the Frenz U18 International Cup 2015 quarterfinals at the Shah Alam Stadium today.
Coach Desio Hermes gave seven Estudiantes players their first starting berth including goalkeeper Bruera Lucas Mariano, while Glover Thomas William and Goddard Cy played for the first time for Spurs.
The wet pitch conditions made it hard for both teams to execute their usual game. Tottenham were the first to strike from a Daly Armani Daquarne Duval volley in the 22nd minute, but it only found the gloves of Estudiantes goalkeeper Mariano.
Sterling Kazaiah Roy Barrett was at the centre of every Spurs attack, and in the 33rd minute broke into the penalty box but failed to find the net from an acute angle.
An off the ball incident in the 45th minute saw Spurs goalkeeper William shoving an Estudiantes player to the ground in his own penalty box, and referee Muhammad Nazmi awarded a penalty to the Argentine side. Lattanzio Carlo Marla’s shot was saved.
The second half started sluggishly as both teams looked fatigued due to the wet ground conditions. Tottenham picked up pace but still failed to create a decent chance on goal.
Meanwhile Frenz United Malaysia (FUM) came out victorious against AIFF India in a nine-goal thriller which ended 5-4 at the Maybank Sports Complex.
FUM were shocked by AIFF India after conceding three times in the first 16 minutes. Basumatary Milan found the net in the fifth and 15th minutes, and Moinuddin added the third a minute later.
Zidane Constant sparked FUM’s comeback by scoring in the 27th and 31st minute, followed by goals from Dicky Firmansyah (29th, 60th) and Abdul Rahman Ismawi (75th minute) to take the lead. Basumatary completed his hat-trick for AIFF in the 86th minute, but it was only a consolation as FUM held on for the win.
Estudiantes will go against Gamba Osaka while Tottenham face Group D leaders FC Porto in the quarterfinals.
Brazilian outfit S.C. Internacional and Spain’s Valencia CF also advanced to the quarterfinals stage from Group B of the FIC 2015 at the Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang, Indonesia today.
Internacional recorded a 5-1 win over J-League side Kashima Antlers to stay unbeaten in three matches while Valencia edged Thailand’s Chonburi FC; courtesy of a 40th minute neat finish by Marco Antonio Ferro.
The Brazilians, who thrashed Chonburi 6-0 and outclassed Valencia 3-1 respectively in Group B, top the table with nine points and go into Saturday’s quarterfinals showdown against Frenz United Indonesia while Valencia leapfrog Kashima into second place with four points and face English-side Liverpool FC in the last eight .
Striker Matheus Carvalho Resende fired his side to the front with a 14th minute goal and Tulio Marcus Rodrigues extended the lead 20 minutes later before substitute Yuki Kakita pulled one back for Kashima two minutes into the interval.
Internacional’s Alexandro Perreira (70th) and substitute Ronald Santanna Rodrigues (78th) than made it 4-1. Midfielder Bruno Jose De Souza, introduced in the second half of the game, sealed the points with a fine low strike nearing the end.
Head coach, Ricardo Cobalchini, said: “Internacional have come off perfectly as planned in our last three matches and now look forward to playing Frenz United Indonesia in the quarterfinals. We will sit down and plot our next move. We have time on our side.”
For a side that showed so much promise following draws against Chonburi FC (1-1) and Valencia (0-0), Kashima must now be pondering what went wrong with their game-plan here in Palembang after failing to make the quarterfinals.
A weary but teary-eyed Kashima captain, Taiko Hirato, said: “We are very disappointed with the result of this match. We played much better against Chonburi and Valencia. Today, I feel we have let down ‘Kashima’. The margin of defeat is just too big and that saddens me a lot.”
Kashima chief coach Koji Kumagai accepts responsibility for this humiliating defeat against the Brazilians.
“As coach of the team, I take full responsibility for this defeat. However, if we look on the positive side, sometimes defeats like this will only help the players grow and understand where they went wrong. It is always a learning process in youth tournaments. They will learn not to make such mistakes again.”
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