Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup
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| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
| Teams | 3 |
| Current champions |  Arsenal (1st title) |
| Most championships |  Athletic Bilbao Arsenal (1 title each) |
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]
Final Standings
The 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 penalties.
| 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 |
