Turin International Youth Tournament

frasermc · Sep 6, 2007

i couldn't see a thread for this anywhere else in the italian forum (my apologies if there is one already) but had to post as Celtic's U-19's won their first group game against Cambiano 19-0!!

apparently it was broadcast live on italian tv. would anyone have a way of adding any highlights?

we play JEF united today and finish our group against reggina before seeing who goes through to the knockout stages.

THE Under-19s have racked up an incredible 19-0 victory over Italian side Cambiano in their opening game in the Turin International Youth Tournament.

Celtic overwhelmed their Italian opponents in last night’s match (September 5), producing an outstanding performance that was broadcast live on Italian television.

Forwards Kevin Cawley and Paul Cahillane both got five goals apiece in the victory, with midfielder Mark Millar scoring two.

New Italian signing Luca Santonocito, left-back Carlo Monti, midfielder Michael Tidser, Bulgarian playmaker Tomislav Pavlov, Graham Carey, Paul Caddis and Richie Towell were also on the scoresheet.

John McLaughlan’s Bhoys will now look forward to today’s meeting with Japanese side Jef United, who lost their opening game against Italians Reggina.

Aside from the inclusion of Paul Caddis, Mark Millar and Charlie Grant, who is making his comeback from long-term injury, it is a effectively an Under-18 Celtic team that is competing in this Under-20 tournament.

Celtic’s final group game against Reggina will be played on Friday September 7, after which the top two teams from each section will meet in the knockout rounds. Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Santos, Torino and Anderlecht are among the other clubs competing.
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http://www.celticfc.net/news/stories/news_060907104430.aspx

frasermc · Sep 8, 2007

after drawing with JEF united, 1-1, the other night, celtic played reggina in their last group match last night and won 3-2 despite having obstacles cast in their path.

it now means we'll play a brazilian side in the semi-finals at the stadio olimpico.

semi finals

celtic v joanopolis

atalanta v santos

CELTIC will face Brazilian side Joanopolis in the semi-final of the prestigious Turin International Youth Tournament after a heroic 3-2 win over Reggina on Friday night.

Despite playing for 40 minutes of the match with 10 men, following the controversial dismissal of midfielder Mark Millar, John McLaughlan’s youngsters showed immense courage to beat their Italian opponents, courtesy of 16-year-old Declan Bunting’s late strike.

Front duo Kevin Cawley and Paul Cahillane had earlier scored for Celtic in a match that was held up for over an hour, after the Hoops squad were astonishingly forced to provide passports as proof of their eligibility for the Under-20 tournament.

This request seems even more bizarre as, barring Paul Caddis, Charlie Grant and Millar, it is effectively a Celtic Under-18 squad competing in the tournament. To their credit, the young Hoops never let this hold-up affect them and produced a superb display.

Incredibly, Celtic had more obstacles to overcome. Reggina, to the amazement of the crowd, were also awarded a soft penalty during the game, while the referee also saw fit to play over six minutes of injury time at the end of a pulsating contest.

Celtic will face Joanopolis tonight (Saturday) in their semi-final. Italian side Atalanta and Brazilian club Santos play in the other last four match.

The winners will meet in the final, while the losers of the semi-finals will play off for third and fourth place. Both games will be played at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico - current home of Juventus.

John Park, Celtic’s Football Development Manager, has accompanied the Hoops squad to Italy and paid tribute to their achievements so far.

He told www.celticfc.net: “John McLaughlan, his backroom staff and all the players have been excellent - a credit to Celtic. To get to this stage of a tough tournament is a fantastic achievement.

“Winning the first game against Cambiano eased them into things, but the display against a very good Japanese side, Jef United, was first-class. It was a very technical game and Celtic more than matched them in the 1-1 draw.

“That gave the boys the chance to reach the semi if they beat Reggina and it was a phenomenal effort from everyone. They overcame the hold-up at the start, the blow of losing a soft penalty and the sending off of Mark Millar to beat a very good side.

“You can’t buy this sort of experience for the youngsters. They have faced European and Asian opposition so far and now they are playing a South American side in the semi-final.

“It’s an experience that will always live with them and they are also guaranteed the chance to play in the Olympic Stadium. It’s been a great trip so far.”

Park also praised the courage of Celtic midfielder Charlie Grant. The highly-rated youngster has missed a full year through injury, but is taking part in this tournament and managed 80 minutes against Reggina.

“Charlie is a fantastic kid with a fantastic attitude,” he said. “John is nursing him back to full fitness, but his application is immense."
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frasermc · Sep 9, 2007

we lost out in the semi final 3-1 to joanopolis.

however we clinched 3rd place by defeating atalanta 3-1.

can't seem to find any video footage of the tournament. if anyone has any links i'd be very grateful for them, cheers.

CELTIC clinched third place in the prestigious Turin International Youth Tournament after a thrilling 3-1 win over top Italian youth side Atalanta on Sunday.

The young Hoops, who lost 3-1 to Brazilians Joanopolis in Saturday night’s semi-final, took to the Stadio Olimpico pitch less than 24 hours later and produced a magnificent performance in the third/fourth place play-off.

With five 16-year-olds starting the game in what is an Under-20 tournament, Celtic were simply too good for Atalanta – who are widely regarded as the best youth side in Italy.

Laurence Gaughan, Danny Lafferty and Italian midfielder Luca Santonocito were all on target as John McLaughlan’s side finished third – the highest placing of any European side at the competition.

“It was the fifth game in five days, so I left out a lot of the older boys and the younger players were excellent,” said a proud McLaughlan. “To finish third is a fantastic achievement – I’m delighted for the boys.”

The young Hoops, who performed superbly to reach the last four of the competition, more than matched semi-final opponents Joanopolis for long spells but were cruelly denied a place in the final after a narrow 3-1 defeat on Saturday.

McLaughlan added: “The heat was unbearable and we expected a better pitch, but we can have no complaints – we were up against a top Under-20 side.

“I’m really proud of all the boys. It’s an Under-20 tournament and we finished the semi-final with four 16-year-olds on the pitch. Against Atalanta, we had five players aged 16 starting.”
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