du Laliga HPC u18s got their Spanish tour off to a winning start, overcoming Cadiz FC 2-1 in their opening match in Andalusia.
After a tight opening period, the visitors fell behind early in the second half when goalkeeper Javaheri's parried save fell kindly for Cadiz's opposition striker to slot home.
Staring defeat in the face, a heroic effort in the dying minutes of the game saw HPC claw their way back into the game through two well-worked set-pieces.
The equaliser came when Wahdan guided Salam's deep free kick into the path of the alert Arif, who showed no mistake from point-blank range.
The winner again began with a precise in-swinging corner from Salam – this time it was striker Qasem who showed huge desire to leap high above the defence to power a downward header back across the face of goal to the delight of players, coaches and travelling fans alike.
The newly assembled u16 HPC squad also made a positive start to their campaign, earning a hard fought 1-1 draw against their counterparts from Cadiz's Academy.
The visitors broke the deadlock when Elkhamlechi's mazy dribble took him by two defenders and into space on the edge of the box. The powerful striker still had plenty to do, but his right-footed curling strike from 22-yards gave the goalkeeper no chance.
Hopes of a maiden victory for HPC were dashed in the second half when some neat interplay on the right hand side lead to Cadiz drawing level, meaning the spoils were shared at the end of the match.
See highlights of the u16 match here.
All in all, a very positive start for both du Laliga sides, who now face Primera Division powerhouses, Sevilla CF, later today.