With 35 games gone before, there was just one more game left to decide the winners of the tournament – the 2014 Algarve Open Cup Final. We had a great final in store and a fantastic crowd assembled by Pitch A and in the beer garden overlooking the pitch. It was a fantastic atmosphere for the two finalists to play in. Those two teams would be Water Boy and Stand Cristina.

Water Boy had always threatened to make a eurofootballfives.com Cup Final and at last they had made it this year. They won the Plate competition last year, could they exchange that for Cup glory today? Their opponents, Stand Cristina, had started slowly with 3 draws but now had 3 wins in a row – they were peaking at the perfect moment.

Stand Cristina started the brighter of the two teams and had most of the early pressure but it was Water Boy who created the best opportunity in the opening exchanges as Bernadino Agostinho saw his chance smothered by Angelo Miguel in the Stand Cristina goal. Stand Cristina hit back and it was Paulo Paulino in the Water Boy goal who impressed making a good save to tip the ball round the post for a corner. The game became more even as the half progressed. Half-time, 0-0.

The two teams had met before in the final round of Group A with Stand Cristina winning the tie 1-0. Water Boy were looking for revenge with Mario Sebastiao in particular having a lively start to the second half. He had an early chance which he put over the bar and then hit the post. Stand Cristina went up the other end and scored with a goal worthy of winning a Cup Final. Think Dennis Bergkamp against Newcastle as Dani, on the halfway line, flicked the ball past the defender then spun past the defender on the other side before scampering on to his own flick and finishing past the goalkeeper. It was a sensational goal.

Water Boy poured forward but were unable to initially create any chances until a free kick that hit the wall and went wide. They hit the post from the resulting corner before Stand Cristina hit them on the break and made it 2-0 through Nelson Serrao.

It looked like game over but Water Boy were not finished. Joao Mendonca forced a good save from the goalkeeper before Victor Reis turned the ball home from a corner for 2-1. Was there to be a late twist?

If you supported Water Boy it was not to be as it was too late in the game and time ran out. The referee blew his whistle for full-time and it was all over.

Ladies and gentlemen, we present you the 2014 Algarve Open winners – Stand Cristina. Many congratulations to them and to Joe Bardwell for his top goalscorer prize. We also send our commiserations to Water Boy who came so close but it was now Cup Semi-Finalists in 2011, 2012, Plate Winners in 2013, Cup Finalists in 2014. Could it be victory for them in 2015?

We send our congratulations to all the teams who participated in what was a great day's competition.