Bayern Munich’s U-19s kicked off their preparation for the second half of the season in the second week of January, but were immediately in the thick of things by competing in the Mercedes-Benz Junior Cup on the very same weekend. The Cup in question is a six-a-side tournament with a field where the ball never goes out of play, instead bouncing off the walls on the edge of the pitch. There is a group stage, an intermediate round and a knockout round before an eventual winner is crowned.
@FCBayern.com captured Bayern’s results in the tournament:
FCB triumphed 3-1 against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the opening match, before Gaydarov’s eleven beat Manchester United 2-1. A 6-1 victory over Glasgow Rangers rounded off a perfect group phase. In the intermediate round, the Munich team had exciting duels, but were narrowly defeated 1-2 by Servette FC Geneva and 3-4 by VfB Stuttgart. In the round of the last four, the Munich team were able to impress again and secured their place in the final thanks to a 4:3 victory over 1. FC Heidenheim. In the final [again against Stuttgart], the team put in an impressive performance, fighting back from a deficit twice and even taking the lead at one point. But in a dramatic final phase, a goal conceded in the last second of extra time sealed the bitter defeat (4:5).
There were several noteworthy performers, with Jussef Nasrawe a particular standout, yet none shone more than Leon Klanac. The goalkeeper made some great saves, scored an impressive four goals and was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
If one lives in Germany or has a VPN, the entire tournament is available via these two links:
