By Tabby Nashipae
Talanta Hela U19 boys’ team are the winners of the 15th edition of the Costa Daurada Cup.
The youngsters thrashed Usurbil FT 3-0 in a closely contested match played at the Futbol Salou Stadium in Salou, Spain on Thursday.
The side has also not tasted a loss in the Spanish nation. They started their campaign with a 3-0 win over CF Constantine before seeing off X Buyer Team A 4-0.
Further, the Kenyan boys ended their pool matches with a 2-0 win over Usurbil FT to proceed to the semifinals.
At the semifinal stage, the determined boys defeated Berango FT 2-0 to cruise to the final stage where they registered a massive 3-0 win over Usurbil FT.
Austin Odongo scored a brace while Hamisi Otieno added a goal to see the youngsters emerge victorious.
Speaking after the match, a visibly excited coach Stanley Okumbi praised his charges’ impressive performance, noting that they matched his expectations.
“It was a great game. The boys really turned up well. They played according to expectations. We will build from here as we aim to make this team stronger in future. These boys are capable of achieving more,” Okumbi said.
In addition, Austin Odongo and William Gitamu were crowned the tournament’s top point scorers. They scored three goals each.
Talanta Hela U19 finish second
Meanwhile, in the girls’ match held at the Nastic Stadium in Taragona, Kenya lost 2-0 against Sporting de Portugal of Portugal in post match penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
The match was a repeat of their second pool match where they saw off the Portuguese side 3-2. This time around, they failed to sparkle.
Striker Elizabeth Mideva stood out as the top scorer of the tournament with six goals, including Kenya’s solitary goal in the additional minutes of the second half. She was awarded a Golden Boot.
Goalkeeper Christine Adhiambo was also recognized as the best goalkeeper of the tournament having kept five clean sheets.
The girls were also awarded medals and a team trophy.
Following the tournament, the youngsters will head to the MIC Camp where they will be looking to sharpen their skills further under the close watch of celebrated international coaches.
