So, all eyes were on Pitch D as we came down to the biggest match of the day in the Open Age section – The 2018 Algarve Open Cup Final.

Traditionally this was a tournament English teams had done well in with 3 previous victories dating back to 2007. However, the last of those wins came in 2013 when FC Radbroke were victorious. Since then Portuguese teams had been dominant and we also had 2 Dutch team victories. One thing was for sure, we would have an English winner today.

The two teams set to do battle for the honour and glory of victory were 9 Nana Budds and Cruz Del Sur. Let us have a look at the two teams form coming into this Cup Final:

9 Nana Budds

Played 9 games with 3 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats.

They had scored 10 goals and conceded 6 goals during the tournament.

Bidding for their 2 nd eurofootballfives tournament win (after 2009 Valencia Fives)

Defeated Cruz Del Surely in the Semi-Finals.

Cruz Del Sur

Played 9 games with 5 wins, 4 draws and 0 defeats.

They had scored 9 goals and conceded just 1 during the tournament.

Appearing in their first Cup Final.

Joint best defensive record in the tournament (with Cruz Del Surely)

All the stats above pointed to a Cruz Del Sur victory but we could take nothing for granted as we had already seen some surprises throughout the day.

It was 9 Nana Budds who struck first with Will Crowther scoring his third goal of the tournament. It was a crucial goal and with a defensively solid tournament it putt he pressure on their opponents. Cruz Del Sur had it all to do and it was a role reversal for them after their Semi-Final. Against L'Albiceleste they scored relatively early and put on a defensive masterclass to go through. Here they were trying everything they could to force an equalizer at least and then possibly a winner thereafter.

The 9 Nana Budds defence held strong though. Tim Moore and his defence kept a vital clean sheet. It was a performance that would see them crowned champions.

9 Nana Budds join a select band of teams with multiple title wins to their name:

4 – Olympic Phil Babb (Eng): Amsterdam Fives (2008), Algarve Open (2009), Prague Masters (2010) and Budapest Fives (2011)

4 – CIS Committee (Blr): Budapest Fives (2014), Bratislava Fives (2014), Prague Tournament (2016), Vilnius Tournament (2017).

3 – Athletico Do Hollande (Hol): Algarve Open (2010 and 2011), Amsterdam Fives (2014)

3 – FC Radbroke/FC Mahou (Eng): Prague Masters (2011), Algarve Open (2013) and Mallorca Veterans Tournament (2017).

3 – L'Albliceleste/Grant Thornton (Fra): Mallorca Fives (2013), Riga Tournament (2016), Barcelona Fives (2017)

2 – ABC United (Rom): Budapest Fives (2012) and Berlin Fives (2013)

2 – Goldsmith Williams (Eng): Prague Masters (2008) and Amsterdam Fives (2010)

2 – Lozenetz City (Bul): Prague Masters (2009) and Manchester Fives (2010)

2 – Rigford Seahawks (Eng): Krakow Trophy (2009) and Berlin Fives (2012)

2 – Skidmarks (Eng): Valencia Fives (2011) and Krakow Trophy (2012)

2 – JNJ Russia (Rus): JNJ Soccer Tournament Budapest (2013) and Krakow (2016)

2 – Budapest Celtic (Hun): Krakow Trophy (2013), Budapest Fives (2017)

2 – Saipan FC (Ire): Mallorca Tournament (2015), Lisbon Tournament (2018).

2 - 9 Nana Budds (Eng): Valencia Fives (2009), Algarve Open (2018)

2 – Mini FC (Por): Algarve Veterans (2015), Algarve Veterans (2018).

9 Nana Budds win was also notable as 9 years was the largest gap of any team between their first title success and their second title success. It was also the lowest number of goals scored by a title winning team – 4 (the others were in walkover wins). In another record, they become the first team to finish fourth in the group phase and go on to win one of our tournaments. It was a mature and experienced performance.

We offer our consolations to Cruz Del Sur who were absolutely superb on the day and a top quality side. Their combined teams only conceded 3 goals in 19 games today – they will be scratching their heads as to how they don't have the trophy in their possession. They could not have come much closer to glory and we are sure there is a future tournament success waiting for them. It feels like it is getting closer year on year. They collected runners-up medals in the presentation.

In the top goal-scorer stakes it was Liam Kenney of Cruz Del Sur and Cedric Castarede of L'Albiceleste (his third golden boot) who claimed the golden boot award. Both scored 6 goals to claim the trophy.

For the main event, our congratulations go to 9 Nana Budds – 2018 Algarve Open champions and a stunning performance!

Thank you to all the teams who competed. We hope to see you all again at a tournament very soon.