Coupe-Pacifique Football AEFE-UNSS
Just before the holidays, the A Grade Boys and Girls football team travelled to Singapore to compete in the Coupe-Pacifique Football AEFE-UNSS. The first night the team dressed up in Hawaii attire and spent the evening ice-skating and bowling, building team chemistry and relaxing before a gruelling three-day football schedule in the blistering heat.
The tournament began on Day 2. Both teams had a tough start facing Singapore on their homeground; the host school was victorious in the opening games despite some solid performance from Andrea and Elena. After lunch, the boys and girls showed resilience and bounced back, winning their next couple of games with goals from Eleonore, Arthur and Ismaël.
On Day 3, the students had an evening break by visiting Marina Bay, where they were captivated by the symphony of lights. Another important team building experience and an opportunity to mix with other schools.
Day 4 was the most dramatic part of the tournament when the boys and girls team simultaneously had a penalty shootout. The girls had Singapore, a team that had beaten them earlier in the tournament, and the boys were to face Singapore 2. Both games went to a penalty shoot out. After sudden death, it was left to the goal keepers (Henry and Kiara) to settle the score. Both scored and then saved the penalties which brought joy to the coaches and players. This meant the girls had advanced to the final of the competition and the boys were now playing for 5th position. The girls had improved every match and in the final they were playing some really nice passes creating lots of chances. They had lots of shots and finally got their goal. In the second half, the Bangkok team were awarded a penalty which was saved by Kiara. Unfortunately the Bangkok team were a little quicker to react to the rebound ball and scored the equaliser. Even though Hong Kong Girls had much more of the possession, they couldn’t score and the game went to penalties. This was the second time they had to deal with the pressures of penalties but lost to Bangkok this time.
Overall, the girls performed so well and as a bonus created lasting friendships. Even though they were beaten on penalties, they were already winners having bonded with their team and been able to share the journey to the final of a major competition. The girls finished 2nd and the boys finished 6th. A special award went to Eleonore who won the Golden Boot award scoring 12 goals in the tournament. An amazing achievement given the talent in the competition.
We had another remarkable football tour, where all of our students demonstrated outstanding representation of FISHK. The trip was a resounding success, with active participation and enjoyment being the key factors.
Thank you to Coach Dani and Mrs Boost for your time and support on the tour.
A message from the a student.
“We are all super happy having just arrived back from our trip to Singapore representing the school at the Asian Pacific football cup tournament. Even though we got second place, the team should be extremely proud of their performances and the effort they put into each game, especially the semi finals against Singapore. What a beautiful match!”
