Right to Dream Academy’s Gothia Cup defense ends in heartbreaking penalty shootout

The reigning champions of the Gothia Cup, Right to Dream Academy, were knocked out of the tournament by Beyond Limits in a closely contested match that ended in a heartbreaking penalty shootout.

The Academy, who had triumphantly claimed the title against AIK in July 2023, began their campaign on a rocky note, suffering a 3-2 defeat against Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna in their opening game.

However, the U16 team, based in Old Akrade, demonstrated remarkable resilience and skill, bouncing back from their initial setback to secure consecutive victories. Despite being one of the younger teams in the competition, they turned their opening defeat into a learning experience, which propelled them to wins against Academia de fotbal Radu Rebeja and Kalmar.

Their journey in the Gothia Cup came to an end today in a hard-fought battle against Beyond Limits. The Academy players gave their all, managing to equalize late in the game to force a 1-1 draw. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side in the ensuing penalty shootout, which ended 7-6 in favor of Beyond Limits.