MONTREAL - A Montreal-area soccer team has pulled off an impressive feat by winning the consolation title of the Mundialito tournament in Portugal.
The All Star team of Montreal-area players aged nine and 10 pulled out a 4-3 victory over Brazil on the weekend, netting the golden goal with 90 seconds left in front of 10,000 fans in Portugal.
The team had six games in the tournament before winning their final match in the consolation round.
The trip, the games and the final victory were a great thrill for players and coaches alike, who were interviewed by CTV Montreal at Trudeau Airport upon their return from a grueling flight back Monday afternoon.
"I got to meet a lot of other great players, older kids, younger kids, Barcelona, the best players in the world, it was really nice," said Michael Vincenzo Caparelli
"I realized it was the biggest tournament of my life, I was really excited with all the fans and winning the trophy," said Anthony Marinaro.
For sports radio host Tony Marinaro, it was a huge moment of pride to see his son win the final game.
"It was the first time the Canadian anthem was played at the Mundialito and that a Montreal team was able to win the cup," said Tony Marinaro.
"I don't know where this is going to go," he said, referring to the winning trophy, "in some sort of shrine or museum or something."
The team had been tossed together about five months ago and had trained twice a week, giving Montreal its best-ever result in the three years they've sent a team to the tournament.
The tournament also involved another pool of 32 teams, considered to be of a higher-caliber than the Montreal squad, who, after nabbing the consolation cup, will undoubtedly have their sights set on the even-bigger prize next year.
