A rare win over an Australian team has earned Footballsouth under-15 a place in the final of the International Youth Sports Challenge tournament in Singapore.
The 3-1 win was an uphill battle against the mostly Victorian state side which had been training twice a day, five days a week with sights set on winning the tournament.
The IYSC event is for youth teams from countries such as Qatar, Japan, India, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia and South Africa.
Coach Richard Murray said the Australians dominated most of the game but Footballsouth opened the scoring through Kieran Stevenson after 25 minutes.
Ken Yamamoto won the ball down the left, beat his marker and hit a fierce drive that the Australian keeper could only parry, and Stevenson followed up to drive the ball home.
The Australian side "came back with a vengeance and we lost the plot a bit, being crammed in our own half by some good football and not dealing with the pressure very well", Murray said.
"We made it through to half-time and settled the lads down."
Footballsouth conceded a goal when one of its players gave the ball away in the back third.
But the dangerous Yamamoto then headed a goal from a corner, and scored his second following a free kick with five minutes to play.
Murray said the result was a "massive upset".
"We identified set-pieces as the key to a successful tournament and that has come true.
"We are now unbeaten and in the final of an international tournament, which is a huge achievement for a side that has only trained fully together twice."
Footballsouth will play Thailand Combined Sports School inthe final at 10.45pm (NZ time) tonight.
Footballsouth U-15 Results in Singapore
- Beat Saitama Prefecture (Japan) 3-1.
Scorers: Shay Kerry, Ken Yamamoto, Cam Howieson.
- Beat Sports School A (Singapore) 2-0.
Scorers: Howieson, Yamamoto.
- Beat Eastern (Hong Kong) 8-3.
Scorers: Yamamoto 3, Lorenz Kissling 2, three own goals.
- Beat Footskills Academy (Australia) 3-1.
Scorers: Yamamoto 2, Kieran Stevenson.
