News

St George's fields three teams in Il Piccolo Mondo football tournament

24 June 2025

St George's entered three teams in this year's Il Piccolo Mondo football tournament hosted by Luxembourg City Football Club on Saturday, 21 June. The teams included Under 9s, Under 11s, and Under 13s. Match reports for each team are below.

Under 9s match report

By Billy McDaniel

A spirited group of Year 4 students competed against 13 other teams from across the country. St George's Dragons proudly finished in 10th place – a fantastic achievement considering they had only one practice session together prior to the tournament.

The team kicked off the tournament with an impressive 6-0 victory over FC Mamer, demonstrating strong teamwork and confidence from the start. In their second match, however, they faced a tough challenge and were defeated 7-2 by a skilled SC Bettembourg side. Refusing to be discouraged, the Dragons bounced back with their most commanding win of the day, an 8-0 shutout against FC Luxembourg City II. Keeper Alexandre G was exceptional, making multiple crucial saves to secure the clean sheet. In their third match, St George’s fought hard in a 2-2 draw against FC Bastendorf. After opening up a 2-0 lead, the team faced a late rally from Bastendorf but managed to hold on for the draw. Their fourth game pitted them against the formidable FC Mondercange, who would go on to finish as vice-champions of the tournament. Despite a brave effort, our team was defeated 4-0 against the stronger opponents. The final group match saw us face CS Fola Esch, resulting in a 4-2 loss. The last match of the day was a tense encounter against FC Residence Walferdange. The game was fiercely contested from start to finish, ending in a 2-2 stalemate. The match was decided by a penalty shootout, where unfortunately, the Dragons narrowly lost 2-1.

Standout performances
Our goalkeeper, Alexandre G, was a standout star throughout the tournament, earning the well-deserved title of Goalkeeper of the Tournament for his outstanding performances between the posts. The team’s offensive efforts were led by Edoardo C (4 goals), Antonio (4 goals), Alessandro (3 goals), Edoardo S (3 goals), Diego (2 goals), Wessel (2 goals) and Lionel (1 goal)

The St George’s squad was composed of Diego, Alexandre G, Matthias, Lionel, Edoardo S, Edoardo C, Alessandro, Wessel, Gabriel S, Gabriel B, Jokubas and Antonio. Our team was coached by Mr Mills and Mr McDaniel. St George's was also represented by Kaito and Kaizie, who played for their club teams, Luxembourg City FC.

– By Mr McDaniel

Under 11s match report

St George’s Under 11 football team  wrapped up a series of challenging matches at the Il Piccolo Mondo  football tournament. They demonstrated  determination, teamwork and remarkable improvement throughout the tournament. Despite facing well-drilled teams who train together multiple times a week, the St George’s  squad – a scratch team – rose to the occasion with great heart. The results were a mix of tough losses and hard-fought victories:

• St George's 0 – 4 FC Mamer 32
• St George's0 – 2 Union Remich Bousch
• St George's – 4 Entente Syrdall
• St George's– 1 FC Lorentzweiler (Lost in a tense penalty shootout)
• St George's 3 – 0 FC Mamer (Win by forfeit)
• St George's 2 – 1 FC Tricolore Gasperich

Goals came from Andrea  and Juan, whose sharp finishing made the difference in key moments. Up front, Iris, Kristy and Michaela worked tirelessly, pressing the opposition and creating space. Juan, Andrea and Alex were instrumental in building attacking plays, while Juan and Andrea also put in strong defensive shifts.  In midfield, Henry and Lucia played a pivotal role, coordinating play and linking defence with attack. In goal, Solal delivered a series of brilliant saves that kept St George's in the game time and again.

What stood out most was the team’s attitude. With each match, their confidence grew, their coordination improved and their spirit never wavered. It was a joy to watch them develop as a unit and their sporting behaviour and resilience were a credit to the school.

– By Mr Cope and Ms Watson

Under 13s match report

St George's Under 13s mixed team finished third overall, competing against Luxembourg City FC, FC Residence Walferdange, Jeunesse Esch, FC Mondercange, Bettembourg FC and FC Itzig.

Led throughout the day by Ms Herinckx, there were goals and saves, however the team lost out on penalties in the semi finals to the eventual winner Luxembourg City.

The team consisted of Leo, Charles, Freddie, Pablo, Harry, Lorenzo, Manraj, Juan, Ciro, Owen, Julis, Valentina, Sofia and Cora.

– By Mr Browne