We were at the 2016 Barcelona Fives Cup Semi-Final stage and from the 32 teams who started the day we were down to the final 4 – already an achievement for those who were still in the hunt for glory. The first Cup Semi-Final would see The Spice Boys versus Me Toca Tirar.

Me Toca Tirar looked a good bet to reach the Cup Final with 7 wins from 8 games so far. However, they were playing The Spice Boys who had 6 wins from 8 games themselves so it would be a brave person to rule them out. The Spice Boys had just got back to winning ways after a little wobble at the end of the group phase. They had just dumped out Naranjitos who had a 100% record until they met The Spice Boys. The English team had claimed one Spanish scalp, was another in the offing?

The Spice Boys certainly seemed to be recapturing their early tournament form and it was they who took the lead through Michael Situ – he now had two in two games having not scored earlier in the tournament. He was certainly scoring important goals. Ryan Williams had been free-scoring through the day and he was in the goals again to make it 2-0 to The Spice Boys.

In the context of these games 2-0 was a good lead – time was against Me Toca Tirar and The Spice Boys were looking solid. They sealed the tie and a place in the 2016 Barcelona Fives Cup Final when Jordan Arthur scored for the fourth time in the tournament.

Me Toca Tirar would have the final word in the game as Ignacio Mochales claimed a consolation goal to pull it back to 3-1. The 2016 Algarve Open top goal-scorer (for Saipan FC) had scored his tenth goal of the tournament. In many tournaments this would be enough to earn him a second top goal-scorer prize of the year but not today due to the prowess of Alfred Jimenez De Andres for Club Esportiu Llefia (who would finish with 12).

Thank you Nacho for bringing your Me Toca Tirar team to the tournament – we hope to see and your team-mates (both Saipan FC and Me Toca Tirar) in action next season.

The Spice Boys had a final to prepare for……

So, who would take their place in the Final from the second Semi-Final? The two teams set to do battle were Elcombe Old Boys against Skidmarks.

We really didn't have a clue how to call this one. Both teams were similar in style – both hard-working and physical teams added to the finesse and skill that would see them regularly reach the latter stages of our tournaments. Both teams also boasted quality goalkeepers. The two teams were yet to play each other in our tournaments…until now.

Skidmarks were bidding to reach their fifth eurofootballfives.com Cup Final after victories at the 2011 Valencia Fives and 2012 Krakow Trophy and Runners-Up finishes at the 2013 Mallorca Fives and 2014 Bratislava Fives. Elcombe Old Boys were bidding to reach their first Cup Final after being eliminated at this Cup Semi-Final stage here in Barcelona in both 2013 and 2015.

Both teams had an identical record today in terms of results (6 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat) so there really was little to choose between the two teams and so it showed on the pitch. The game was 0-0 for long periods and it looked like we would be needing penalties to decide the tie. Skidmarks would fancy their chances with a 75% success rate in eurofootballfives.com shoot-outs and having just been successful in the Quarter-Finals. Elcombe Old Boys had lost on penalties here in the Semi-Final last year although did have a victory on pens in the 2013 Barcelona Fives Quarters too.

However, a penalty shoot-out was not required. A goal relatively late in the game would decide the match. Cometh the hour, cometh the man and who was that man? It was Matt Hall of Elcombe Old Boys whose goal would see his team into a first Cup Final.

It's often said in these tight games that the result would come down to a moment of brilliance or a mistake. An anonymous mole in the Skidmarks camp leaked that it was a Luke Hatfield mistake (sorry Luke) dribbling out of defence and caught in possession that lead to the Elcombe Old Boys winner. In the interest of balance and fairness, Luke had scored 6 goals today to help his team's cause and could boast the top scorer award from Valencia as his goals helped propel them to the title.

Skidmarks were very close to that fifth eurofootballfives.com Cup Final appearance and that third title but it was not to be this year.