Melita FC youth nursery teams recently travelled to Germany for the Munich Summer Cup and returned home with two titles after winning their respective tournaments in Unterschleissheim.

A total of 38 teams from 11 countries took part in the KOMM-MIT International-organised youth football festival played in unusual scorching weather conditions at the Hans Bayer Stadium, limits of Munich.

KOMM-MIT was founded in 1983 and is a cooperation partner of the German football federation in the field of youth football.

Melita U-13 won all their qualifiers but had to negotiate a penalty shoot-out before reaching the final.

In the title match, against Croatia’s NK Uljanik, Melita produced good, flowing football to win 2-1 after coming back from a goal down.

Jake Engerer was the top scorer in this tournament.

The U-17 team also had a remarkable run and won all their qualifying matches with relative ease.

Young Melita players proudly showing their trophies.

The semi-final against Swiss side Camoghe was a balanced affair though and Melita showed great resilience to eliminate their opponents on penalties.

Melita were tactically disciplined in the final and held on for a 0-0 draw. Penalties were required to determine a winner and goalkeeper Zak Mousu proved to be Melita’s hero when stopping two spot-kicks in the shoot-out.

The Melita U-17 boys scored all their four penalties to claim a hard-earned title.

Meanwhile, in the U-11 Munich Summer Cup, Melita lost 2-1 in the final to Union Oberneukirchen while a second Melita team in the same competition did not make it to the final stages.

One Melita U-11 player who will remember this tournament for a long time is Kurt Chircop. He topped the scorers’ list in his category.

The Melita U-15 team drew their first match but failed to qualify for the knock-out stages.

In a statement, Melita FC president Paul Zammit said the club had reached their objectives in Munich.

Melita youth nursery players and officials pose for a group photo in Unterschlessheim.

“These results made us proud as they were beyond expectation given the high level of competition in the tournament,” he said.

“Participation in the Munich Summer Cup was all about giving our young teams experience in a competitive and friendly environment overseas.

“On behalf of the club, I would like to congratulate all players and coaches not just for the results, but also for their commitment and contribution even when our boys were on the losing end.”