IIL Champions and Vice-Champions

On Saturday 16th April, IIL took part in the Minimes football tournament organised by the Fondation de Football at the Ecolint La Chataignerie campus in Founex. Three boys’ teams and two girls’ teams represented the school.

Boys Group Stage

In Group A, IIL 2 began strongly with a comfortable 2-0 win over Nations 2. They kept up their form through to the second match against La Chat 3 with another 2-0 victory. In the final group game IIL took a 1-0 lead against La Chat but in the final moments they lost out on 1st place due to goal difference. IIL 2 finished second meaning they would play in the 3rd and 4th place playoff.

In Group B, IIL 1 and 3 were paired against each other in the first group game. IIL 3 raced away to an early 3-0 lead but the game was far from over as IIL 1 managed to stage a late comeback and score two goals but unfortunately they could not find a third to level the tie.

IIL 1 aimed to make amends for the first result and faced up against La Chat 2. The boys fought hard and ground out an important 1-0 victory. Their 3rd group game against Nations 1 proved to be an encounter with few chances for both teams resulting in 0-0 draw. After ending the group stage on 4 points, it was not enough to take them through in pole position and so they had to settle for 2nd place in the group. This meant they were to paired against IIL 2 for the 3rd and 4th play-off.

IIL 3 continued their winning streak after their 3-2 victory with another win over Nations 1. The result ended 1–0. In the final group game, IIL 3 came up against La Chat 2. Their were chances for both teams to secure victory but IIL prevailed and came out 1-0 victors. After finishing the group on 9 points, it meant that IIL 3 were through to play in the final.

Play-offs

IIL 1 and IIL 2 competed against each other for the 3rd and 4th position. In a very competitive match with some lovely football played, IIL 1 ran out 2-1 victors after two remarkable headers to score the all important goals.

IIL 1 finished 3rd
IIL 2 finished 4th

Final

IIL 3 were paired against La Chat 1 in the final of the tournament. IIL 3 were solid and compact as a unit, and played some lovely team football. Their dominance shone throughout and managed to score a fantastic long range effort. At the final whistle IIL 3 were crowned CHAMPIONS!

Girls Group Stage

The girls from IIL 1 began their group stage match against La Chat 4. The attacking style from the girls was fantastic and they pressed La Chat high up the pitch. The girls were relentless with their finishing and ended the match 6-0 victors. In their second match IIL were paired with La Chat 2. The girls continued their dominance of the group with another attack display resulting in a 3-0 victory.

In their final group game the girls admittedly took their foot off the gas and played at a slower pace. The girls could not find the breakthrough they needed and the match resulted in a 0-0 draw. This proved to be enough to progress to the finals on 7 points.

IIL 2 girls began their group stage extremely well with an outstanding 7-0 victory over La Chat 5. Their confidence was high and followed up with another great victory over La Chat 3 with the score ending 4-0. Going into their final group game, the girls knew that it would be a tough game against an experienced La Chat 1 side. La Chat proved to be too strong for IIL and proved how good they were with a 7-0 victory over the IIL girls. The girls were not too disheartened by the result as they finished the group in second place which meant they qualified for the 3rd and 4th place playoffs.

Play-offs

IIL 2 girls were matched against Nations 1 girls who proved to be difficult to break down. IIL 2 girls tried everything to get past the Nations defence but seemed to find no solution. Finally the girls found a lucky breakthrough and snatched a goal. The girls held their nerve to finish 1-0 victors meaning they came in 3rd place.

Final

IIL 1 girls were drawn against La Chat 1 in the final. They girls matched La Chat physically in what proved to be a tight encounter. They were few chances for either team as both defences stood strong. Unfortunately La Chat scored with a cool finish into the bottom corner. IIL were unable to find the all important equaliser in the late stages and as the final whistle sounded IIL girls had to settle for second place. WELL DONE.

A big thank you to all the parents who came to support the IIL teams throughout the day. A great afternoon of football for all.