AC Milan claimed a one-sided victory in the battle of the European heavyweights after they beat Real Madrid to lift the Hamdan bin Mohammed Fifth International Under-18s Football Championship title on Sunday night.
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The Rossoneri only secured a 2-1 final win as the annual 10-day competition came to an end at Dubai Police Officers Club, but the tight scoreline did little to reflect their dominance.
A commanding first half saw captain Davide Di Molfetta curl in from 20 yards and Davide Calabria fire home to give Los Blancos goalkeeper Luca Zidane – the son of France legend Zinedine Zidane – no chance.
Real improved after the break though their opponents kept them at arm’s length, a mistake from substitute Raul Zucchetti allowing Moroccan Marouane Hlal to add some respectability at the end.
“To win against Real Madrid is very important for the guys and for me,” said Milan coach Cristian Brocchi, who won the 2004 Serie A and Champions League double as a dogged defensive midfielder with the club.
“It has been a fantastic experience, but the coach is unimportant. The most important thing is the team and the players are my first priority.
“Three or four of these guys will now go out and play for other clubs and the rest will stay with us at AC Milan for next season.”
Real were without coach Ruben de la Red, who was called back to Madrid because of the impending birth of his child.
Los Blancos assistant coach Joaquin Sanchez Alvarez believed his squad had learned important lessons in the UAE. He said: “It is a good experience for the players. They are a good team, who work hard – we hope they continue.”
#ACMilan MILAN YOUTH WIN THE HAMDAN BIN MOHAMMED FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP http://t.co/ketXoigLvT
— AC Milan News (@ACMilanNewsOnly) April 19, 2015
This was the fifth running of the competition in Dubai, with Real and Milan participating for the first time. Fellow Europeans Valencia – who triumphed in 2010, 2013 and 2014 – finished third after a 2-0 victory against Dubai Club yesterday, whose crosstown rivals Al Ahli, Al Wasl, Al Nasr and Al Shabab were all eliminated in the group stage.
Secretary general of Dubai Sports Council Saeed Hareb hinted that an even stronger field could take part in the next running. He said: “The technical result rather than the overall result is more important for us [UAE teams]. We get to know where we are when competing with another school.
“The European school is well organised. From our side, we will make a report about what the differences are and how we can benefit in the future.
“We will keep going with this age. We have a good competition, we look forward to keep going with this and there are many teams from Europe who are looking to come. You saw the quality today. From the finalists today in Dubai, we are going to see a big name emerge.”
