Lions Win China Nation Cup in Hangzhou

With two strong and motivated Lions squads, we boarded the speed train to Hangzhou for the China Nation Cup — ready to compete, but also to enjoy a memorable weekend!

☀️ Perfect Conditions
The weather was great and the pitch in top condition. Both Lions teams were placed in different groups. The level of competition? Let’s just say Charles scored 8 goals in two matches, which tells you something.

⚽ Winning Across the Board
Both Lions teams won all their group stage matches in style — confident, focused, and dominant. With every game played, the momentum and team spirit kept building.

🍻 Time to Celebrate
After wrapping up day one, we enjoyed a solid team dinner and watched Manchester United beat Arsenal (which made some of us even happier). Then, naturally, we hit the Hangzhou club scene. The last Lion standing? Jonny O’Shea, who proudly reported there were only five people left at G Plus when he finally left.

😴 Surviving Sunday
Despite a few sore heads, the damage was minimal. Only Matt, Chris, and Jonny (of course) missed the Sunday call-up. Everyone else was ready to finish the job.

🏆 All-Lions Final
Both Lions squads won their semi-finals, beating two different Japanese teams to set up an all-Lions final. To avoid a friendly-fire war, we turned the final into a penalty shootout and “hit the butt” games instead. Fun won the day.

Another trophy in the cabinet, another great Lions weekend full of football, laughter, and team spirit.

Cheers,
Freek