All four Central Coast Mariners currently on tour with the Qantas Young Socceroos in Europe featured in an impressive 1-0 win over global heavyweights Germany in Kamen-Kaiserau at the weekend.
All four Central Coast Mariners currently on tour with the Qantas Young Socceroos in Europe featured in an impressive 1-0 win over global heavyweights Germany in Kamen-Kaiserau at the weekend.
Trent Sainsbury and Mustafa Amini started the match for Jan Versleijen-s side, with striker Bernie Ibini-Isei and defender Sam Gallagher making appearances in the second 45.
Former Mariner Marc Warren – who now plays for sister club Sheffield United – managed a full shift for Australia-s generation next who defeated the Germans on home soil thanks to a 44th minute strike by Kofi Danning.
The friendly was the Qantas Young Socceroos first international match since the Asian U19 Championships last November, and coach Versleijen was pleased with the test.
“It-s always good to start a tour with a win”, Versleijen said. “It was also a challenge for the team to identify the main areas we need to work on leading into Colombia. The defending was reasonable to good but we still had too many turnovers in the midfield playing teams of this level.”
Versleijen-s men will now make the short journey to the Netherlands to compete in the Terborg Tournament from June 3 to 5.
There, Sainsbury, Amini, Ibini-Isei and Gallagher will have the opportunity to compete against some of the brightest young players in world football as they continue their preparation for the forthcoming FIFA U20 World Cup in Colombia.
In the group stage the Qantas Young Socceroos will play junior Dutch outfits Ajax Amsterdam and FC Twente Enschede, Mexicans Atlas Guadalajara and Brazilians Botafogo.
Elsewhere on the world map, on loan Mariners striker Adam Kwasnik played the full 90 for Chengdu Blades against Shanghai Shenhua on Saturday however couldn-t prevent his side suffering a 4-1 defeat away from home.
Lawrie McKinna-s teams next match is in two weeks at home to fifth place Liaoning Hongyun.
Mariners captain Alex Wilkinson-s Jiangsu Sainty side had better fortune at home to Shaanxi Chanba last night.
Wilkinson played the entire game as his team ran out 1-0 winners at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre.
Wilkinson-s next test is a road trip to Chinese powerhouse Shanghai Shenhua on Saturday week.
In Indonesia, Troy Hearfield also featured for the whole match, however his Pelita Jaya team suffered a 1-0 away defeat to PSPS Pekanbaru.
Hearfield-s next game will be in front of the infamous fans of capital club Persija Jakarta – known as ‘The Jak- – this Sunday.
Meanwhile, Mariners midfield maestro Michael McGlinchey departed for Denver, USA, with his New Zealand international teammates late last week.
The All Whites will play Mexico at altitude on June 1 before returning to the southern hemisphere to face the Qantas Socceroos in Adelaide on June 5.
Finally, fellow Mariners midfield schemer John Hutchinson is currently in Greece preparing for Malta-s UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier.
Although 11 points separate group leaders Greece from Malta on the Group F ladder, only one goal split the sides when they met in March this year.
Hutchinson played a full game that day and will undoubtedly be hoping for another strong showing against the 2004 European Champions at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus this Saturday.
