Aston Villa win the Peace Cup after dramatic penalty shoot-out
ASTON VILLA'S young guns secured Peace Cup in dramatic style early today.
After extra-time ended goal-less, Martin O'Neill's men ran out 4-3 winners on penalties.
Juventus seemed destined to win on penalties after Villa missed a second spot kick until Alessandro Del Piero stepped up and turned what should have been a winning strike into a howler destined for YouTube.
The Serie A team created the better of the chances at the Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla but were denied by a string of top-class saves from Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
Villa’s best opportunity came when Marc Albrighton forced a first half save from Gianluigi Buffon.
Albrighton and Eric Lihaj continued their rollercoaster week by keeping their places in the team with the youth team duo fully deserving the reward of starting against the Italian giants.
There was also a place in the first XI for their young colleague Andreas Weimann, who came in for the suspended Emile Heskey in the only change from the side that beat Porto in the semi-final.
Luke Young and Stiliyan Petrov have returned home with injuries while Moustapha Salifou was suffering with illness and Marlon Harewood and Isaiah Osbourne were also conspicuous by their absence.
With Villa’s squad stretched to breaking point their elder statesman goalkeeper Brad Friedel was the only senior player with all of the outfield substitutes coming from the youth team.
Indeed, so short of numbers are the claret and blues that O’Neill was forced to ask the Peace Cup organisers for permission to fly over Gary Gardner, Dominik Hofbauer and James Collins at late notice.
Albrighton has done wonders for his chances of stepping up to first team on a regular basis during the course of this tournament and had Villa’s best chance of the first half when he forced Buffon into a fine save after cutting in from the right.
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