Aston Villa reached the final of the Hong Kong Soccer Sevens tournament for a second successive season before losing out 2-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Young Lions, who were crowned champions in 12 months ago, topped Group A with three wins from three before successfully navigating their way through the knockout stages.
But Villa were undone by the Seagulls in Sunday’s final as they finished runners-up in their bid to retain the prestigious title.
With the tournament returning for its 25th anniversary at Hong Kong Football Club, defending champions Villa opened their tournament with a 2-0 victory over West Ham United on Saturday.
A 3-0 triumph against Hong Kong FC Captain’s Select followed for the Young Lions, before wrapping up their group stage campaign with a 1-0 win against Yau Yee League Select to top Group A.
The Villans subsequently progressed to Sunday’s knockout stages and saw off Rangers 2-0 in the quarter-finals, before another 2-0 success over Hong Kong Rangers FC in the semi-finals.
Yet Villa, who won the title for a record-extending seventh time in 2023, were unable to repeat their success as they fell to a 2-0 reverse against Brighton.
