| The
Veterans Plate Final brought together JK Silvertown
B and World Pinteur in one last contest to decide
who would collect winners medals and who would
collect runners-up medals in the presentation
later this afternoon.
Let's
have a look at the two teams' credentials for
the Plate title:
JK
Silvertown B (Eng)
Previous
best: 2023 Barcelona Fives Plate, 2024 Porto Veterans
and 2025 Barcelona Veterans Cup winners.
Record
today: Played 7, Won 1, Drawn 1, Lost 5.
Goal
difference today: 12-15 (-3)
Current
unbeaten run: 2 games.
Today's
top goalscorer: Tony Tanner (4)
Clean
sheets: 0
World
Pinteur (Fra)
Previous
best: 2023 Mallorca Fives Plate Winners, 2016
Lisbon Tournament Cup runners-up.
Record
today: Played 7, Won 3, Drawn 2, Lost 2.
Goal
difference today: 7-7 (0)
Current
unbeaten run: 2 games.
Today's
top goalscorer: Anicet Owona, Eric Lemoisson (2)
Clean
sheets: 3
JK
Silvertown had enjoyed Cup and Plate success in
our tournaments but it is important to qualify
that has been the A team or a single squad. This
was new ground for B team. Their statistical record
today showed they would be underdogs against a
World Pinteur team who had only lost twice today
– against 4x eurofootballfives.com winners FC
Mahou (1-0) and 4x eurofootballfives.com winners
FC Poloboc (2-0). World Pinteur had also beaten
and drawn with these teams respectively in the
group phase. World Pinteur had also beaten JK
Silvertown's A team (2-1) in the previous round.
This all pointed to a World Pinteur win. However,
in the group phase when these two teams met both
games were tight – a 1-0 win to the French and
then a 3-3 draw. World Pinteur could take nothing
for granted.
|
The
final proved every bit as competitive as their
earlier meetings had suggested, with JK Silvertown
B making the initial breakthrough when their number
17 found the net to give the English side a 1-0
lead. Having taken the advantage, Silvertown B
defended resolutely and carried that narrow margin
into half-time, leaving World Pinteur with work
to do after the restart. The French side, as we
have seen, had enjoyed the stronger overall record
during the tournament, but they now faced an opponent
who were showing plenty of determination on the
biggest stage of their campaign. World Pinteur
eventually found a way back into the contest when
Pierre Lachaud scored to make it 1-1, setting
up a tense finish to the final.
JK
Silvertown B responded well to conceding the equaliser,
and Gary Manning restored their lead with a goal
to make it 2-1. Once again, though, World Pinteur
refused to go away, with Romain Ziat finding the
net to bring the score level at 2-2. With the
final finely poised, the next goal would decide
who lifted the Plate, and it was Silvertown B's
number 17 who delivered the decisive moment, scoring
again to put the English side 3-2 ahead. Having
opened the scoring, he now had the final say,
and JK Silvertown B held on through the closing
stages to secure a thrilling victory. The final
whistle confirmed a 3-2 win in a match that had
swung back and forth, with both sides showing
the spirit and attacking quality worthy of a final.
For
World Pinteur, the defeat will be a bitter disappointment
after an impressive tournament and another strong
run in the Plate competition. They had reached
this stage after a group campaign featuring only
two defeats and had shown their resilience by
overcoming JK Silvertown A in the semi-final.
Twice they came from behind in the final, with
Lachaud and Ziat both finding crucial equalising
goals, but they could not find a response to Silvertown
B's late winner. Although the French side fell
just short of adding a second Plate title to their
collection, they can take pride in another competitive
tournament and the defensive strength they showed
throughout much of the day. They were worthy finalists
and will surely return determined to go one step
further next time.
Congratulations
to JK Silvertown B, who claimed the Veterans Plate
title with a dramatic 3-2 victory. This was new
territory for the B team, and they can be proud
of the way they rose to the occasion after a difficult
group campaign. Their number 17 proved the match-winner
with a superb brace, while Gary Manning's goal
also played a vital role in securing the trophy.
The result adds another honour to the JK Silvertown
name and demonstrates that success at eurofootballfives
is not limited to the A team. That's real strength
in depth. After battling through the knockout
stages and holding their nerve in a closely fought
final, JK Silvertown B can celebrate a memorable
Plate triumph and collect their winners' medals
with great pride.
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