The 20 teams were split into four groups of five. In Group C our side completed a field that also included Polish club Escola Varsovia, English side Derby County, Dutch team IM Sports Breda and fellow Hungarian team Carvalho 2013. Alongside our academy and Carvalho, two other Hungarian participants – UTE and Mészöly Academy – took part, as well as Liverpool FC, Derby County and Parma.
Our academy players began the group stage with a goalless draw against the Polish side before beating the Dutch team 2–0. They then defeated Carvalho 2013 3–0 and English side Derby County 3–1, progressing to the last four as group winners. Our U15s faced UTE in Sunday's semi-final, where the purple-and-whites edged the match by one goal. The bronze-medal match was also decided by a single goal: we lost 1–0 to Ukraine's Ruch Lviv Academy and therefore finished fourth in the international tournament. Even so, our academy players gained experience that they will be able to use in the future.
Tamás Szamosi, head coach:
“We gained a huge amount of experience at the tournament in Poland because we played against elite teams that are already highly regarded at youth level. Derby County are a good example – we managed to beat them 3–1 in the group decider! We finished first in our group: four matches, three wins and one draw. The boys were a little tired by the placement matches, so they no longer had the same cutting edge as earlier. Overall, though, we are satisfied with what we experienced and what we saw on the pitch. One thing is certain: if young players regularly played matches at this tempo, not only our team but Hungarian football as a whole could develop and benefit enormously!”
Group allocations:
Group A: Gornik Zabrze, Hull City, LNZ Cherkasy, B93, Sarpsborg 08
Group B: Ruch Lviv Academy, Parma Calcio, PK-35, Helsinki, Mészöly Academy Budapest, Rozwoj Katowice
Group C: Budapest Honvéd FC, Escola Varsovia, Derby County, IM Sports Breda, Carvalho 2013
Group D: UTE, Talent Warszawa, Liverpool FC, KZ Ruch Lviv, BK Frem Copenhagen
