The contingent left Malta, destination Stockholm, on Sunday 4th and after a rather long trip, arrived in Ostersund. Following a first training session on Monday, the Maltese contingent had the opportunity to visit the city of Ostersund.
The team played its first game from Group 2 on Tuesday. Norwegian side Byasen IL 1 stunned the Maltese side with four goals in the first half. However the Attard players followed well the instructions of coach Charles Caruana and with a brilliant comeback, they managed to earn a point in a 5-5 draw. Nick Ghio scored three and Cleavon Farrugia made it 4-4. Byasen IL 1 regained the lead but Ghio scored again to restore equilibrium. Later in the day, all participating teams took part in a colourful celebration in the town during which the tournament was officially declared open.
The following day, Attard met Utleira IL 2 in the last group game. It was a balanced encounter which ended with a narrow win for the Maltese side thanks to another goal by Nick Ghio. Attard therefore won the Group with seven points.
Attard FCYN had to play three games in a day on Friday. Kick-off time for the first one was 8:00 am when Attard were due to meet local side IFK Ostersund. Following a good start, the Maltese side was leading 4-3 by the end of the first half, eventually winning the game 8-4. Goals by captian Jean Borg (4), Nick Ghio (3) and Christian Borg.
After a deserved break, during which the young Attard players had the opportunity to meet other children from the various teams, they were due to face Floro SK of Norway who had won their group with maximum points, scoring 37 and suffering just one goal. Goals by Cleaven Farrugia and Jean Borg gave Attard a two-goal lead after just ten minutes but by the end of the first half, Floro levelled matters. However the stress of having to play three games in a few hours’ time left its mark as they ended suffering a 7-2 defeat.
Following a final day touring the city and shopping, the Maltese contingent returned to Malta on Sunday.
It was definitely a remarkable experience for the Attard FC Youth Nursery and its young players as although for some of them, this was their first experience playing abroad, they did really well while enjoying themselves mixing with other young players from different countries.
Front: Matthias Caruana, Christian Borg, Isaac Bray, Nicholas Mangion, Jurgen Caruana