Liverpool Under-19s Finish 5th In 2015 Terborg Tournament

Michael Beale’s Liverpool Under-19s ended the 2014/15 season as they finished fifth in the 2015 Terborg tournament. The Reds travelled to Holland to take part in the three day tournament consisting of ten teams from around the world, with the teams playing 40 minutes game, 20 minutes per half. The format of the tournament meant that there were two groups with five teams in each group. Liverpool were drawn in Group B (Group Of Edmund) alongside PSV, Atletico Mineiro, De Graafschap and Chivas Guadalajara.

Liverpool were the last team in Group B to feature in the opening day, as they played Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro at 15:50 on Friday 15 May. It was a bad start for the young Reds, who were playing against a side who have featured the likes of Bernard and Ronaldiniho in the past. Liverpool lost the game 1-0, with the only goal coming in the first half. Jack Dunn did have the chance to score the equaliser from the penalty spot, but his effort was saved by the Mineiro goalkeeper.

There was no rest for the Under-19s though, as they faced Dutch champions PSV in the penultimate game of the day, with the game kicking off at 19:10. Their losing streak continued, as they Reds suffered a 2-0 defeat to leave them joint bottom of Group B after the first round of matches.

On the second day of the tournament, Saturday 16 May, Liverpool played their remaining two group games. Their first game was against Chivas Guadalajara with a 13:20 kick-off. A much improved performance saw Liverpool pick up their first win and first points of the tournament with a 2-0 victory.

The confidence in the Liverpool camp was restored and they went into their final group game against Dutch side De Graafschap full of confidence. With just 3 hours seperating their games, the Reds didn’t have time to reflect on the Chivas victory. Beale’s boys emphatically brushed aside the opposition, winning the match 4-0 as they bounced back from a defeat against one Dutch side, with a win against another.

After their four group games, Liverpool finished with 6 points. This meant they finished in third place two points behind PSV, and four points behind the group winners Atletico Mineiro. In doing so, Liverpool had to play the third-placed team in Group A in a 5th/6th place play-off. That side was Club Brugge and the play-off was to be contested on the final day of the tournament, Sunday 17 May.

Liverpool had a strong finish to the tournament, winning the play-off 2-0 as they kept three clean sheets in a row, finish with a goal difference of +5. After back-to-back defeats on the opening day, the Reds recovered strongly with three wins in a row to end the 2015 Terborg Under-19 tournament in a respectable fifth place.