For the second year in a row, South African soccer teams have faltered at the last hurdle of the U17 Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament.
Bidvest Wits is the second local team to be beaten in the final after SuperSport United lost to Italian giants, Torino last year. Spanish La Liga giants Atletico Madrid were crowned the 2016 Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament winners after a 2–1 victory over Wits’ U17 development side at the Nike Football Training Centre in Pimville, Soweto.
Atletico’s goals were scored by Joaquin Munoz and Oscar Clemente with Wits’ DR Congolese teenage sensation, Shungu Dutiro netting the goal for his team. Dutiro scored six goals in the tournament and was joint leading goal scorer with his Mamelodi Sundowns counterpart, Siphamandla Ntuli.
Mexican side Club Tijuana secured the bronze medal as they defeated local favourites Orlando Pirates 2–0, thanks to a brace from Daniel Lopez.
Defending champions Torino ended in fifth position this year as they beat three-time winners Clube Atletico Mineiro 2–0 with goals from Agostino Rizzo and Nicola Rauti. Belgian side Club Brugge made sure they finished seventh in emphatic style with a 6–0 victory over Chinese club Shandong Luneng.
Anton Tange, Rabah Mazbouh, Albion Gashi, Sven Cornette, Nurretin Demir and Ephraim Lavia all scored for the Belgians.
Mamelodi Sundowns claimed ninth place in the tournament thanks to a 1–0 victory over fellow South African side Kaizer Chiefs with Thabo Moloisane scoring his first goal of the tournament.
Mozambican side Ferroviario de Maputo avoided finishing last as they claimed a 1–0 victory over local club Black Aces. Cabral Americo scored the only goal of the game to condemn the Mpumalanga side to 12th position.
Sundowns picked up the Fair Play Award for their impeccable discipline throughout the week.
The winner of the Future Coaches Programme was also announced and Christa Flora Kgamphe, who plays for the University of Johannesburg and is an aspiring coach, emerged as the winner.
