Aston Villa sweep Hong Kong Soccer Sevens group stage with 3 wins

It’s that time of year again! A committee of Aston Villa youngsters are in Hong Kong for the annual seven-a-side tournament. Villa picked-up three convincing victories in the group stage.

The Hong Kong Soccer Sevens crept up on us. It seems as though the tournament is running a week earlier this year as compared to last year. As is customary for the tournament, Aston Villa brought together a team of talented under-21 players.

Goalkeeper: Viktor Johansson

Defenders: Mitch Clark, Isiah Bazeley-Graham

Midfielders: Callum O’Hare, Alex Prosser, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Jordan Cox, Jack Clarke

Forwards: Kelsey Mooney, Harvey Knibbs

On Saturday, Aston Villa recorded three wins from three group stage matches. A 3-0 rout of Hong Kong Captain’s Select was the first bit of action, with Corey Blackett-Taylor scoring the first goal of Villa’s tournament. The claret and blues followed that up with another 3-0 rout of Hong Kong-based Kitchee FC. The final group stage match featured familiar foes, Italian side Cagliari Calcio, where Villa once again dispatched the Sardinians 2-1 (goals from Knibbs and O’Hare).

The other groups consist of fellow European academies and powerhouse clubs in the Asia-Pacific region:

Group A: West Ham United, Wellington Phoenix, Yau Yee League Select, Kashima Antlers

Group B: Aston Villa, Kitchee, HK Captain’s Select, Cagliari

Group C: Newcastle Jets, Hong Kong F.C., Rangers, Newcastle United

Group D: Singapore Cricket Club, Brighton & Hove Albion, HKFA Red Dragons, Leicester City

Next: 4 Former Villans Called Into Three Lions

Villa will face either Leicester or Brighton in the quarter-finals, per the club’s website. You can watch live YouTube streams from the tournament’s site here. Last season, Aston Villa lost to the Foxes of Leicester in the Championship.