On June 2, the 2014 cohort of China Junior Football Team (U12) beat Everton FC’s youth academy side 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out in the final of the SIGISMONDI Cup held in Italy, claiming an international championship for China’s youth football.
A total of 48 elite youth teams from across the globe took part in the tournament. The Chinese side sealed three straight wins in the group stage, netting 14 goals without conceding a single one. In the knockout rounds, they overcame Fiorentina 3-1, Braga 1-0 and Copenhagen 2-0 consecutively. Having secured six victories in all fixtures with 20 goals scored and just one against, the team lifted the trophy after a draw in regulation time led to a penalty shoot-out in the final.
