The Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup was an invitational football friendly tournament held at St Mary's, Southampton. The competition was named after former Southampton Chairman Markus Liebherr. Described as a "unique triangular cup competition", each club played one another and points determined the winners of the tournament, which was held in 2011 and 2012, and won by Athletic Bilbao and Arsenal.[1]
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams | 3 |
| Current champions |  Arsenal (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Athletic Bilbao Arsenal (1 title each) |
2011
editThe inaugural edition of the Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup was held on 23 July 2011 as a triangular round-robin system. Various European teams were invited to compete in a tournament, with the other participants besides the hosts Southampton being the Spanish club Athletic Bilbao and German club Werder Bremen. The hosts won the first match of the tournament, beating Bremen 3–0 with goals from David Connolly, Guly do Prado and Adam Lallana.[6] Bilbao also beat Bremen, with a 2–1 scoreline, thanks to goals from Igor Gabilondo and Gaizka Toquero. In the decisive match between Southampton and Bilbao, it was the Spanish side who won 2–0, with Igor Martínez and Markel Susaeta sealing the title to Bilbao.[1][6]
| Southampton | 3–0 (45-minute match) | Werder Bremen |
|---|---|---|
Connolly  10'do Prado 30'Lallana 40' |
Report |
| Werder Bremen | 1–2 (45-minute match) | Athletic Bilbao |
|---|---|---|
| Bargfrede 35' |
Report | Gabilondo 22' Toquero 37' |
| Southampton | 0–2 (45-minute match) | Athletic Bilbao |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Martínez 36' Susaeta 45' |
- Each match lasted 45 minutes each. Drawn matches were resolved by extra-time and then penalities.
Final Standings
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Bilbao
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 4 |
| Southampton
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
 Werder Bremen
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
2012
editSource:[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
Scottish club Rangers were initially scheduled to take part, but were later replaced by Anderlecht due to the financial troubles that Rangers were facing.[14] The tournament was held on 14 July as a triangular round-robin system in 45-minute matches, and in the first match of the tournament, Southampton lost to Anderlecht 1–0, with the only goal coming early in the first half from Tom De Sutter.[15] Arsenal then won their first game against Anderlecht by the same scoreline, with a goal from young midfielder Henri Lansbury deciding the match.[15] In the decisive match between Southampton and Arsenal, the Saints new signing Jay Rodriguez netted on his debut for the club in the 31st minute, although the lead proved short-lived when Gervinho equalized a few minutes later, causing the game to end in a tie, and despite Arsenal losing 5–4 on penalties, it was them who won the second Memorial Cup and joined Athletic Bilbao on the honours list.[9][15]
| Southampton | 0–1 (45-minute match) |  Anderlecht |
|---|---|---|
| Report | De Sutter 15' |
| Arsenal | 1 – 0 (45-minute match) | Anderlecht |
|---|---|---|
| Lansbury 34' |
Report |
| Southampton | 1–1 (45-minute match) | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Rodriguez 31' |
Report | Gervinho 35' |
| Penalties | ||
Fox  Rodriguez Seaborne Chaplow Hammond |
5–4 | Santos Coquelin Olsson Eastmond Ebecilio |
- Each match lasted 45 minutes each. Drawn matches were resolved by extra-time and then penalities.
Final Standings
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| Anderlecht
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Southampton
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Athletico Bilbao win the Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup". Southern Daily Echo. 23 July 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup 2012 Preview". Southampton FC. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup - 2011". Goalzz. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Athletic Bilbao Take First Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup..." George Weah's Cousin. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Athletic Bilbao win Memorial Cup". Saints Natter. 23 July 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Memorial Cup Report". Southampton FC. 23 July 2011. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ "Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup 2012 (Southampton)". RSSSF. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Memorial Cup 2012: Report". Southampton FC. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ a b "£7m Jay scores on Saints debut but Arsenal win the Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup". Southern Daily Echo. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Arsenal win Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup despite penalty loss to Southampton". Goal.com. 14 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Arsenal win Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup in Southampton". The Short Fuse. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Arsenal win the Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup". Paint The Arsenal. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Highlights: The Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup". Southampton FC. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Rangers to take on Arsenal and Southampton in Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup this summer". 1 June 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ a b c "Memorial Cup 2012 – Report". Southampton F.C. 14 July 2012. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.