Source: Official Site 10 Apr

Our Academy side kicked-off their campaign with a win in the 'Torneo Internazionale' in Bellinzona, Switzerland, on Thursday night.

The lads beat Paraguayan side Guarany 2-0 with second half goals from Kudos Oyenuga and Steven Caulker.

Four players made their debuts - Chace O'Neill, Tom Carroll, Olumide Durojaiye, Jesse Waller Lassen - as the lads produced a fine win without the services of Ryan Mason, Dean Parrett, Nathan Byrne and Jake Nicholson, who were on reserve duty before flying out to Switzerland on Friday.

Coach Alex Inglethorpe takes up the story. "We played well in the first half but it stayed 0-0 and then we weren't so good at the start of the second half, we had to get through a bit of a rough spell before re-establishing ourselves about 15 minutes in.

"We opened the scoring half-way through the second half (45 minutes) when Adam Smith played it into Kudos, he turned the defender and finished low into the corner from the left channel.

"We made it 2-0 five minutes later when Yaser Kasim floated in a free-kick, we put the keeper under pressure and Steven Caulker was able to head into the empty net.

"It was an excellent start for us. We're by far the youngest squad in the tournament and the four debutants all did well. We have four Under-16s out here - Olumide, Jesse, Kudos and Harry Kane - and they all featured as well, so it's positive stuff for us."

The lads next face local side Team Ticino on Friday night and Dinamo Bucharest of Romania on Saturday.

Matches are played over 30 minutes each way. The teams play each other once with the top two on each group going through to the semi-finals.

Barcelona are in the other group alongside Basil, Twente of Holland and Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.

Team v Guarany: Jansson, Smith, Cox, Ekim, Caulker, Butcher, Waller Lassen (Carroll, 44), Kasim, Oyenuga, Kane, O'Neill (Durojaiye, 44).

Squad: Jansson, Ranieri, Carroll, Durojaiye, Oyenuga, Kane, Cox, Butcher, Smith, Kasim, Mason, Waller Lassen, Parrett, Ekim, Caulker, O'Neill, Byrne, Nicholson.