BAA suffered defeat in their opening matches of the Under-12 Powerade Cup in Barcelona yesterday.

The local team put up a good fight but ultimately faltered against La Liga opponents Real Madrid and Villareal.

BAA lost 4-0 to Real Madrid and 2-0 against Villareal in their group 1 matches at the Cornella Stadium.

Despite coming up empty handed, Kenny Thompson, the BAA technical director, said there were positives to take away from the matches.

“We were competitive and had chances in both matches,” Thompson, the former Bermuda Football Association youth director and senior national coach, said. “We had four clear chances against Real Madrid and a great chance at 0-0 against Villareal.”

BAA’s team is comprised of club and guest players as well as players from Spanish clubs.

The three day tournament involves 20 teams. Among those are eight professional teams, including seven La Liga teams and one from Portugal, and 12 amateur sides.

“It’s a good opportunity for our boys to compete against really top quality opponents from teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia and others,” Thompson said.

BAA will play their final group matches today against Lleida, Cornella and Martinenc.

The top two teams from the six team group will advance to the quarterfinals.

As well as playing three matches back to back today, BAA will attend the La Liga match featuring RCD Espanyol and Las Palmas at

the former’s stadium, situated right next to Cornella Stadium.

“It will be a real eye opener as to what top football looks like and feels like,” Thompson said. “The players are loving it.”