Defending champions County Londonderry saw their 2024 tournament start with a defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion at a packed Coleraine Showgrounds.
PREMIER
Manchester United’s Douka Nkoto Abdoulaye with Callum St Ledger of Co Fermanagh at the Riada
Star of the show was Zebedee Lawson, who opened the scoring after he dashed past the Londonderry defence and produced a snapshot that the keeper could only parry straight to the feet of Cristiano Anah, who tucked home from inches out.
It was a day for the defenders of Brighton, as full-back Jackson Morby found himself on the end of a ricochet in the box to slam home a second.
Despite being ahead, Brighton were very much under pressure for periods, and credit has to go to keeper Callum Furber who produced a number of smart stops and decisive claims to keep the Northern Ireland side at bay.
A combination of this determined defending and perseverance going forward meant that Londonderry were able to muster a late fightback, with Matthew Burns delivering a fine side-foot finish into the top left corner in added time.
An enthusiastic bench cheered them on for one last charge at the Brighton rearguard, but the Seagulls held on for the win.
In the 11am kick-off, there was a comprehensive win for County Down as they thrashed West Cork Academy by an impressive 8-0 scoreline.
Down exploded out of the traps with an early goal following a scramble in the box that was tucked home by Oliver Peoples.
Down playmaker Cal Weatherup was proving to be a constant thorn in West Cork’s side as he continued to beat the opposition defence, and he got his reward as he showed his strength first to win back possession before slotting a neat side-foot finish beyond the keeper for his side’s second.
Down were relentless on the attack and were 5-0 up hitting the 30-minute mark, with the pick of the goals from Stephen Kelly, who produced an outside-of-the-box screamer to cap off a fine rapid-fire display.
Shay Reid’s smart finish and a piece of magic from Daire Trainor saw them run out easy winners.
Intercontinental FA were too much for their English counterparts to handle, as two strikes from Jayel Goncalves — one just before the break and another 10 minutes into the second half — helped the Americans to a 3-1 victory over Skouted from Manchester.
In the same group, Manchester United were 4-0 winners against County Fermanagh in front of a large crowd at the Riada Stadium. In the all-county clash of the day, Antrim were defeated by 10-man County Armagh, and Dundalk Schoolboys played out a 1-1 draw with Inter CT.
Shoshi from Japan were edged out by English outfit Middlesbrough, while Rangers were 2-0 winners against Tyrone. Hamilton Academical marked their first appearance at the tournament with a 4-0 win.
The final result of the night was a comprehensive win for Mexican side Toluca against Barca Academy Dubai, as they ran out 4-0 winners in Limavady.
JUNIOR
In the SuperCupNI Junior Section, 2023 runners-up County Antrim came out on the better end of a nine-goal thriller against Blackburn Rovers
Fermanagh players celebrate a goal against Rangers
in Broughshane.
Both Jude Crawford for Antrim and Xavier Nosegbe of Blackburn helped themselves to two goals each in a pulsating affair that was decided by the odd goal in nine in a 5-4 spectacle, with two of Antrim’s goals coming right at the death.
It was a decidedly less dramatic affair but still heralded an abundance of goals as Tyrone were comprehensive winners against DME from America. One of the stand-out results of the day saw County Fermanagh defeat Rangers 2-1 in front of a huge crowd at Bushmills, with goals from Jay Ely and Kacper Ferens sealing a famous win.
There was also a loss for the other half of the Old Firm, with Charlton impressing as they defeated Celtic 3-0.
There were also wins for County Down in an Ulster derby against Armagh, St Patrick’s Athletic against FC America and 2023 winners West Ham, who defeated County Londonderry.
Meanwhile, Stevenage and St Francis from Dublin played out a pulsating 2-2 draw.
MINOR
Linfield’s Calum Evans with Lucas Macleod of Ross County
In the Minor Section, Glenavon and Stevenage played out a thriller as they shared six goals. It was Kudzai Mawele who took home the match ball by contributing a hat-trick in a back-and-forth affair, with two of his goals coming in the 47th and 52nd minutes.
Crusaders players Daniel Clarke and Cruz Devlin-Amoh in action with Coleraine’s Archie Bowles in Bushmills
Continuing with the stream of high-scoring occasions, Crusaders produced an unstoppable attacking display as they blew Coleraine away, with a hat-trick from Michael Mulholland and two from Finn Hegarty in a 9-1 win against Coleraine.
Celtic of Scotland proved much too strong for their American rivals as they blew away the USSSA select side 5-2. Jude Colhoun grabbed a brace, while Jaden Nish came off the bench to contribute with the final goal in what was a comprehensive display from the Glaswegians.
Elsewhere, Cliftonville were 4-2 winners against Ballymena United, Plymouth Argyle edged past IDA Bermuda, Kilmarnock triumphed against Surf Select and Loughgall downed Glentoran. Linfield were also big winners on day one, as they defeated Scottish newcomers Ross County 3-1.
GIRLS
The Girls’ Section of SuperCupNI saw three Premier League giants taking to the fields around Antrim and Newtownabbey.
In the Premier Section, reigning champions Northern Ireland defeated last-minute replacements Athlone Town at Dixon Park as Danielle McDowell-Tuffey’s side were 5-1 winners.
In the other Group B match at Chimney Corner, Wolves drew with Galway United. Galway took the advantage in the 53rd minute with a strike from Katie Barrett, but that lead lasted a mere 60 seconds with Holly Appleby equalising.
In Group A, Premier League giants Aston Villa were held to a 2-2 draw by Surf Select at Mossley, while in Rathcoole, Manchester United marked their debut in the Girls’ Section with a 3-0 win thanks to Pixie Bradley’s brace and Poppy Holt also netting.
In the Junior Section, there was one win for Northern Irish sides and two for American regulars. Surf Select were 3-1 victors against Larne at Dixon Park, while the South Belfast YL Select beat Crusaders 5-1 at Rathcoole.
FC America were also comprehensive winners as they saw off Linfield at Mossley.