Paris Saint-Germain's U16s crumble in Al Kass Cup final. Leading at halftime, they conceded four unanswered goals to Barcelona.
Facing FC Barcelona in the final of the Al Kass International Cup, the Paris Saint-Germain Under-16 team suffered a heavy defeat after having led 2-1 at halftime.
The PSG class of 2010 flew out in mid-January to compete in the 11th edition of the Al Kass International Cup in Doha, Qatar, a competition in which a certain Adrien Rabiot notably shone in 2012 before joining Carlo Ancelotti's professional group at that time.
Vincent Ehouman's proteges began the tournament with a prolific draw against FC Barcelona, and a Catalan equalizer snatched from a penalty in the final moments of the match (3-3).
In their second group match, the Parisians were again held by their Vietnamese counterparts from the PVF Academy (1-1). The third matchday was therefore decisive, and Axel Koukaba's teammates managed to reach the semifinals thanks to a victory against Japan's Kashiwa Reysol (3-1).
PSG Under-16 Team Falls to Barcelona in Al Kass International Cup Final
Facing the local Aspire Academy, the Capital's players again made things difficult for themselves by conceding a goal in stoppage time, but they qualified for the final after a penalty shootout (2-2).
In the final, the Parisian prospects faced FC Barcelona again and led 2-1 at halftime from two quick counter-attacks despite clear Barcelona domination.
The second half was, unfortunately for the Parisians, a masterclass from the Catalans, who were collectively and individually superior, taking advantage of the defensive vulnerabilities shown by Paris throughout the competition to score four more goals (2-5).
Vincent Ehouman's team nevertheless finished in a fine second place before some of them quickly returned to the pitches of the National U17 championship.
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