By: Anele Nduzulwana

Arsenal FC were crowned Durban Under19 International Football Tournament Champions as they narrowly beat PSV Eindhoven 2-1 at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Arsenal celebrated their deserved victory, with a few of their players giving their match boots to the local fans in attendance to show their appreciation.

Coach Steve Gatting said that the tournament was challenging. Even though his players came prepared, they faced well-drilled opposition in all the games they played.

He said, “The final match was a great spectacle. Our players have learned a lot.

Even though they lost the game, Eindhoven played very well, making the game interesting to watch.”

The player of the Tournament Yassin Fortune, who was also the man of the match, said that Eindhoven played well and opened up the game when they scored their second-half goal.

“It was a tough encounter but we played very well, we worked hard and we deserved to win,” said Fortune

South Africa won by two goals to one, beating Stuttgart during its play-off before the final match.

Masilake Phohlongo and keletso Makgalwa scored the winning goals for the home team.

Former Bafana Bafana player and South African Football Association Ambassador, Jimmy Tau, said the tournament was great and South African players had a lot to learn from
European clubs.

“These platforms expose us to how far we are in terms of development and what areas we need to cover in order to develop our own football,” said Tau