Juventus Academy Shanghai returned to the pitch on Saturday with both league and friendly matches. All our teams fought hard, here are the results:
U7 League: 3-3 Draw
U8 Friendly: 4-0 Win
U9 League: 4-7 Loss
U11 Friendly: 2-2 Draw
U12 League: 1-1 Draw
U13 Dybala Friendly: 6-0 Win
U14 Friendly: 0-0 Draw
MATCH SUMMARIES
U7
The U7 continued to play with spirit and excitement, and the team ended the match with a hard-fought draw. The team saw themselves 3-0 behind halfway through, but they did not give up. A good team performance with two goals from Gray and one from Edoardo!
U8
The U8 team also entered the pitch with the right attitude, applying pressure to the opponents and launching effective attacks. The result was a satisfying 4-0 win, and the team dominated the match. Francesco scored the first goal in the first half, and the two goals from McQueen as well as an own goal secured the win for the Bianconeri in the second half.
U9
The U9 team did well against a tough opponent but lost 4-7 at the end. Tuur and Edison were good in goal, Chris was a solid defender, Frank had his first match and put up a strong performance, and Raymond was a crucial player as a central midfielder. As for attackers, Tameem, Jacob, and Louis all did well to create attacking chances for the team to score. The scorers were Louis who took a penalty, Tameem, and Raymond. The opponent had a very fast striker, which was difficult for our defenders to stop every single time. Good match for the team- not only was it a match to learn better positioning, it also showed the coaches the potential in this team.
U11
The U11 had a friendly, the match ending in a 2-2 draw. Juve first took the lead, with a goal from both Edoardo and Jonah. Juve had a lot more chances to secure the win but could not finish their chances. Later in the match, the opponent brings two goals back and levels. In all, a strong effort from the team, but players must be more clinical during future matches in the league in order to be Champions yet again.
U12
The U12 were unfortunately not able to win the three points, ending up with a 1-1 draw against their opponents. The team played strong- Mizuna and Karen were solid defensively and Alan, Jonah, and Edoardo created many chances to score. Ryan was amazing in goal, making many crucial and difficult saves. In the first half, Jonah makes it 1-0 for Juve after a beautifully-controlled touch past the goalkeeper and a calm finishing. The Bianconeri should have gotten a second goal when Alan tucked in Karen's free-kick on the rebound, but the goal was wrongly called off-side and the scoreline remains. Later, the opponent was awarded a penalty and levels, keeping this scoreline until the end of the match.
U13 DYBALA
The U13 Dybala team did a good job to comfortably win 6-0 against their opponents in a friendly. The first goal came from David, who finds the chance to score following chaos inside the box. The second goal was from Jacob, using again his speed on the right flank to storm past all opponent players. Joshua scores a wonderfully-timed header soon after, and a fourth ensues when Jacob assists William in front of an empty goal. Great team play in the first half, 4-0 lead for the Bianconeri. The team was able to add two more goals while keeping their clean sheet. Suhail scores two- one calm tuck with the right foot after dribbling past the goalkeeper and a header. In all, good performance from the team!
U14
The U14 friendly ended in a goalless draw, despite strong efforts from the boys. Juve played uncharacteristically in the first half, struggling to find real chances to open up the scoreline. There was an opportunity to lead 1-0 early in the game through a penalty, but the shot was denied by the opponent's goalkeeper. After a tough talk from the coach during half-time, the team seemed to return to their usual ways, playing collaborative and patient football. The team created many attacking chances but was ultimately unable to score. This was a practice match to learn how to play against a weaker team that relies on solely defensive play. While the boys were unable to find a way through this match, we are confident that the practice will carry through into future league matches.
