Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-15s participated in Nike's European tournament in Austria
Teams from Maccabi Tel Aviv's Youth Division continue to represent the Division and Israeli football at various international tournaments. This week it was the turn of the Under-15s, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad", who participated in Nike's European tournament, held this year in Austria. Head coach Shlomi Mitelka's charges earned their place in the tournament after winning the "Nike Israel" tournament held last March in Ra'anana. In addition to Maccabi's Under-15's, nineteen other Under-15 teams from all over Europe who won their national Nike tournaments participated this pan-European event. The twenty teams were divided into four groups of five, with the two top sides advancing to the quarter finals and the rest playing for placement only.
Maccabi's group included Croatian side NK Osijek, Slovenian team NK Krsko, the Hungarian Budapesti Vasas and a Finnish competitor. After losing three of their group-stage matches, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad" moved on to placement competition, where their fortunes changed with three consecutive victories. Their first triumph was registered in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw against Croatian side HNK Gorica, with Eylon Almog scoring "Eldad"'s only goal. In the Under-15s' next match against Budapesti Vasas, Almog added a brace in "Eldad"'s 2-0 triumph. In their final match of the tournament Maccabi's Under-15s faced Swiss competitors FC Zurich and secured the 13th place in the competition by emerging 2-0 victors courtesy of a brace by Guy Dahan.
Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad" head coach Shlomi Mitelka had this to say at the end of the tournament: "This was an outstanding opportunity for our young players, who are unaccustomed to playing matches of this pace and physical intensity. Even though the matches were only forty minutes long, they felt more like two complete matches of eighty minutes each. Unlike our league games here in Israel, competing in a tournament like this against clubs at this level you get punished for virtually every mistake you make, and that's exactly what happened. The tournament was extremely intensive, we were in play almost all the time. But again I say it was a brilliant experience for all of us. Compliments to the organisers of the tournament for providing services at the very highest level".
