Young Reds clinch third place in Dortmund tournament
Liverpool's U19 squad finished third in the prestigious Evonik Ruhr Cup hosted by Borussia Dortmund.
Michael Beale’s side won the third and fourth-place play-off when they beat Schalke 2-0 on Sunday thanks to goals from Brooks Lennon and Camacho.
The young Reds faced the likes of Dortmund, Benfica and Manchester City during the tournament and they certainly gave a good account of themselves.
In their opening fixture, Beale’s charges were held to a goalless draw by FC Koln before a sublime 30-yard free-kick from Harry Wilson defeated Benfica with the only goal of the game.
Toni Gomes was in great form throughout the competition and he fired a hat-trick as the Reds beat Chinese side Shanghai 3-0.
A goalless draw with Dortmund followed, which saw Beale’s charges top the group and face City in the last four.
Unfortunately, City proved to be a strong outfit and won 3-0.
Reflecting on the tournament, Beale told Liverpoolfc.com: “It was a huge honour for us to come over to Germany and take part in the Ruhr tournament hosted by Borussia Dortmund this weekend.
“There were some outstanding teams taking part and we came with a very young group, including a number of players born in 1999 and 2000, and overall this has been an excellent experience for them and the whole group.
“We produced some fine performances and there were a lot of positives for us to take and to finish third in this tournament with such a young group of players shows a lot of promise.
“I know we lost 3-0 to Manchester City in the sem-final but in all honesty it was a tight game that ran away from us as we chased an equaliser in the second half.
“City were the strongest team we played but we conceded poorly from a set play. In truth, we should have gone into half-time with an equaliser after Lennon missed a huge opportunity at the far post to draw us level.
“The second half saw us throwing players forward in the hope of securing the equalising goal but we failed to be ruthless with the chances we had.
“City were always a big threat on the counter and killed the game with two late goals.
“We were without a few players against City. Wilson picked up an injury and couldn’t play and we were also without Ben Woodburn and our goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
“Overall, I am extremely happy with how the young group has developed during pre-season and we now look forward to the season opener with Southampton next Sunday at Prenton Park.”