Shandong Luneng U-17 soccer team defeated their Romanian counterparts 2-1 to win Upper Austria Cup title.
Luneng had beaten teams from Greece, Romania, Italy, Nigeria before making it to the final.
Romania took a lead in the first half but Luneng pressured on the opposition's defence and equalized through Yu Shuai five minutes before the regulation time ran out.
Ma Xingyu snatched the winner in extra time.
"The young players have acquired experience through the match," said Luneng coach Yin Deqiang. "The success indicated the training level for Chinese junior players has gradually caught up with the world standard.
Organizers said they would invite more Chinese teams to the junior tournament because of Luneng's outstanding performance.
The Upper Austria Cup is the oldest international junior soccer tournament in Europe. The organizers invite teams from aged 9 to 17. It has been held for 21 times and over 3,000 young players of 175 junior teams from more than 50 countries have attended the Upper Austria Cup. |
