Russian side Spartak stole the show on day one of the 2017 Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament

Russian side Spartak Moscow stole the show on day one of the 2017 Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament played at the Nike Football Training Centre in Pimville, Soweto on Monday.
The debutants defeated the Football School of India 15-0 in an excellent display of attacking football to highlight their potential as serious contenders for this year’s title.

Danila Proshliakov scored six goals in an outstanding individual display, while there were also braces for Dmitry Markitesov and Mikhail Ignitov.

Defending champions Atletico Madrid made a fine start to the tournament too as they beat local South African side University of Pretoria 4-0. The Spanish club will once again be one of the teams to beat.

Local side Mamelodi Sundowns defeated Mexican outfit and 2013 winners Club Tijuana 1-0 with their prolific forward Likhanyile Ndlendle on target.

BidVest Wits also beat 2015 champions Torino from Italy 2-1 as Ethan Andrews and Kabelo Makola were on target for them, with the Italians’ score coming via an own goal from Keenan Phillips.

Club Brugge from Belgium were too good for local side Orlando Pirates as they won 2-1 with Simon Paulet and Visar Shala on target for them. Lyle Foster got the goal for the Young Buccaneers.

In the opening match of the day, SAFA Tshwane drew 1-1 with an NPSL All Stars selection from Nigeria.

The action continues on Tuesday with another six matches, including a tasty clash between Atletico Madrid and home favorites Mamelodi Sundowns.
The action gets under way at 11h30 when Torino tackle the NPSL All Stars, with entrance to all games FREE to the public.

Boca Juniors from Argentina were crowned inaugural Future Champions Gauteng winners in 2009, with Chinese side Shandong Luneng victors in 2010. Atletico Mineiro were the first Brazilian winners when they triumphed in 2011 and then repeated that success in 2012 and 2014, with Club Tijuana victors the year in between.

Torino claimed the trophy in a narrow penalty-shoot success over South African side SuperSport United in 2015, while Atletico Madrid are the current defending champions.

Organised by Global Sports International, in partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Government, the tournament features five local sides and seven top teams from around the world.

This year’s Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament is also supported by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, the Premier Soccer League, Love Life, Clinix Health, LaLiga, Debonairs Pizza and SCORE Energy drinks.

MONDAY’S RESULTS
SAFA Tshwane 1 (Katlego Mampa) NPSL All Stars 1 (Dini Lawal)

Spartak Moscow 15 (Egor Ilin, Turgai Mokhbaliev, Dmitrii Mitroga, Kirill Folmer, Dmitry Markitesov 2, Danila Proshliakov 6, Ruslan Rustamov, Mikhail Ignatov 2) Football School of India 0

Orlando Pirates 1 (Lyle Foster) Club Brugge 2 (Simon Paulet, Visar Shala)

BidVest Wits 2 (Ethan Andrews, Kabelo Makola) Torino 1 (Keenan Phillips og)

University of Pretoria 0 Atletico Madrid 4 (Adriana Ferreras, Nicolas Garcia, Alberto Salido, U Ming)

Mamelodi Sundowns 1 (Likhanyile Ndlendle) Club Tijuana

STANDINGS

GROUP A P W D L GF GA PTS
SAFA Tshwane (SA) 1 0 1 0 1 1 1

NPSL All Stars (Nigeria) 1 0 1 0 1 1 1

Torino (Italy) 1 0 0 1 1 2 0

GROUP B P W D L GF GA PTS

Spartak Moscow (Russia) 1 1 0 0 15 0 3

BidVest Wits (SA) 1 1 0 0 2 1 3

Football School of India 1 0 0 1 0 15 0

GROUP C P W D L GF GA PTS

Club Brugge (Belgium) 1 1 0 0 2 1 3

Mamelodi Sundowns (SA) 1 1 0 0 1 0 3

Club Tijuana (Mexico) 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
GROUP D P W D L GF GA PTS
Atletico Madrid (Spain) 1 1 0 0 4 0 3

Orlando Pirates (SA) 1 0 0 1 1 2 0

Univ. of Pretoria (SA) 1 0 0 1 0 4 0


TUESDAY’S FIXTURES

11h30 – Torino vs NPSL All Stars

13h00 – Orlando Pirates vs University of Pretoria

14h15 – Football School of India vs BidVest Wits

14h30 – Club Brugge vs Club Tijuana

15h45 – SAFA Tshwane vs Spartak Moscow

16h00 – Atletico Madrid vs Mamelodi Sundowns

TOURNAMENT STATS
Matches played: 6
Goals scored: 26
Biggest victory: Spartak Moscow 15 Football School of India 0
Most goals in a game: 15 – Spartak Moscow 15 Football School of India 0

GOALSCORERS

6 goals – Danila Proshliakov (Spartak Moscow)

2 goals – Mikhail Ignitov (Spartak Moscow), Dmitry Markitesov (Spartak Moscow),

1 goal – Ethan Andrews (BidVest Wits), Adriana Ferreras (Atletico Madrid), Kirili Folmer (Spartak Moscow), Lyle Foster (Orlando Pirates), Nicolas Garcia (Atletico Madrid), Egor Ilin (Spartak Moscow), Dali Lawal (NPSL All Stars), Kabelo Makola (BidVest Wits), Katlego Mampa (SAFA Tshwane), U Ming (Atletico Madrid), Dmitrii Mitroga (Spartak Moscow), Turgay Mokhbaliev (Spartak Moscow), Likhanyile Ndlendle (Mamelodi Sundowns), Simon Paulet (Club Brugge), Ruslan Rustamov (Spartak Moscow), Alberto Salido (Atletico Madrid), Visar Shala (Club Brugge)

Own Goal – Keenan Phillips (BidVest Wits)

  • We had a wonderful football and cultural experience in Gauteng. The tournament and activities were very well organized and we found everyone involved extremely helpful and accommodating. We have all returned home with fantastic memories of our time in South Africa, both on and off the pitch, and have made many new friends as a result of the trip. I hope that we are invited to participate in future tournaments.

    Everton Academy Head Coach

  • The experience both on and off the field for our players during the Future Champions tournament in Gauteng was life-enriching for all those who participated. We were privileged enough to win this edition but what will be bringing us back in future is the cross-cultural education our players receive from spending time with athletes from all over the world. They are human beings before they are football players and enriching them with other cultures is as rewarding as the experience they receive on the field.

    Club Tijuana Director of Football

  • After twenty years of experiencing tournaments around the globe, Future Champions is hands down the best organized, well run International Tournament we have ever participated in. Bringing teams from dozens of different countries provided our boys exposure to cultural diversity they only read about in textbooks. It’s amazing how sport can be the cultural link that provides the opportunity to interact with each other and discover that our global community is a bit smaller than they realized. We had a football and cultural experience that will be cherished for the rest of our lives.

    Director of USYSA Select

  • For us to compete in Future Champions is much more than playing a series of matches. It is an opportunity to compete and contrast our level against the best teams from around the world and the possibility of living in another culture and environment for an unforgettable week, learning about the history of the fight for human rights.

    Director of Aspire Academy

  • The addition of a girls’ competition this year is a natural expansion for what has become a hugely popular event. Over and above the football, the players are also exposed to life-skills courses and HIV/AIDS awareness that could end up saving their lives in the future. We have had an amazing partnership with the Gauteng Province over the last decade and we thank each and every stakeholder for making the Future Champions Gauteng campaign such a huge success

    Tournament director