Zayed Tournament Declared a Success Despite Losses

Liverpool’s Academy Technical Manager Piet Hamberg declared the under-18’s trip to Abu Dhabi for the Zayed tournament was a complete success, despite suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of an experienced Atletico side.

“The trip has been a fantastic experience for the youngsters.

“The facilities have been first class and we have been well looked after. We have given a very good account of ourselves in the tournament and it has been an honour for us to be over here.

“We played very well in the first game against Fluminese and we were 2-1 up at one stage before we eventually lost 4-3.

“We got our first win against Al Wahda when Adam Pepper scored but then it was disappointing to lose 5-0 to Atletico Madrid. We had a man sent off and their team were more experienced than us. They had players two years older than us and it makes a big difference at this level.” Hamberg told the Offish site.