Young Reds suffer Barca loss
Liverpool's Academy youngsters suffered disappointment when they lost 3-0 to Barcelona in the final of the prestigious Soccer World Challenge in Japan.
Led by coaches Stephen Torpey and Dave Rowe alongside Academy technical director and head of coaching Rodolfo Borrell, the U13 squad had produced a brilliant performance to beat Kashiwa Reysol 4-0 in the semi-final.
Reysol are the Japan champions at U13 level and had only conceded one goal in their first five games of the tournament.
However, fatigue played a big part in the showpiece final as the U13 squad struggled in the heat and humidity as they lost to a strong Barcelona team.
Despite the loss it was an invaluable experience for the youngsters who won seven out of eight games in the competition.
Borrell told Liverpoolfc.com: "We are really proud of the lads. They performed brilliantly in this tournament and they were a real credit to the club."