Zurich, May 19 (IANS): FC Zurich and Vancouver Whitecaps claimed the men's and women's titles respectively at the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup.
The hometown favorite, FC Zurich, battled to a 0-0 draw with Brazil's Corinthians Paulista in a 50-minute regulation match. They ultimately secured the championship with a 2-0 victory in the penalty shoot-out on Thursday night.
In the women's final, Canada's Whitecaps triumphed over Basel 1893 of Switzerland in a penalty shootout, winning 5-4. The Whitecaps spent most of the match down by a 1-0 scoreline but managed to draw level at 1-1 with a decisive goal in the last minute, a Xinhua report said.
The tournament, a Zurich tradition since 1939, has evolved since the Blue Stars Zurich club held the inaugural "Blue Stars" junior tournament 84 years ago. FIFA began sponsoring the event in 1991 and renamed it the "Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup" in 1995.
The women's competition was introduced in 2018. However, the tournament had to be suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.