As the 2014 Mallorca Tournament Cup Quarter-Finals were about to get underway we were down to the 8 top performing teams in the tournament representing the France, England and Spain. There would be 7 games which would decide who would emerge victorious and claim the first ever eurofootballfives.com title. With no previous winners in the draw the title was up for grabs.

We started on Pitch C with El Local versus Universidad Palma in an all-Spanish contest – the one thing we did know is that there would be at least one Spanish team in the Cup Semi-Finals. What followed was an absolute classic contest with ebb and flow between the two teams with very little to set them apart. At half-time we were locked at 2-2 as Juan Antonio Terron Alvarez and Ismael Gil Gomez goals for El Local were cancelled out by two goals from Rafita for Universidad Palma.

In the second half we were to have more goals but still finished level at 3-3. Juan Antonio Terron Alvarez scored his second of the game for El Local, Rafita completed his hat-trick for Universidad Palma. We would need penalties to decide this one and it was Universidad Palma who emerged victorious 3-2.

Quarter-Final three was Cheesecake FC versus Centrale Football Club. Cheesecake had emerged from the group phase with the best record of all the 20 teams in the tournament and had recorded some thumping victories 6-2, 6-0 and 11-1. Cheesecake FC also have a proud record in eurofootballfives.com Quarter-Final ties;

Prague Masters 2010, Cup QF: Bt Mollys FC (Cze) 6-0

Algarve Open 2011, Cup QF: Bt 9 Nana Budds (Eng) 3-1

Mallorca Tournament 2012, Cup QF: Bt Inter Women (Eng) On pens after 3-3 draw.

Berlin Fives 2013, Cup QD: Bt Scandittack (Ger) 3-2 via Golden Goal

Mallorca Tournament 2013, Plate QF: Bt El A Dees (Eng) 3-0.

Within that 9 Nana Budds won the 2009 Valencia Fives, Inter Women won the 2011 Amsterdam Fives and 2013 Mallorca Tournament plus El A Dees were Runners-Up in the 2012 Amsterdam Fives – they had beaten teams of pedigree.

As you can see from above the task facing Centrale Football Club was a massive one. However, they were quite adept at this level having reached the Cup Final of the Algarve Open in 2012 and 2013 so we would have quite a game on our hands.

Cheesecake FC opened the scoring when Phil Shaw found the back of the net. Kevin Raphael then slotted home his 10 th of the tournament to make it 2-0 and put his team in charge.

Credit goes to Centrale Football Club who pulled a goal back from Henri Viguier to make a late charge in search of an equalizer that would have taken the game to penalties. A 2nd French goal proved elusive and Cheesecake FC had a 6th Quarter-Final win in 6 attempts.

The final Quarter-Final was FC Dynamoes against Taylor's Terriers. The Group D winners had emerged victorious from a tough group and were looking in good form. In Lisbon FC Dynamoes had started well but faded (in terms of results) towards the end of the group phase. Today, they looked a stronger outfit and were hitherto unbeaten. They looked one of the team's to watch in the knock-out phase. Taylor's Terriers had actually recorded a higher points tally than their opponents in the group phase but had tasted defeat. The game was set-up nicely.

It was early honours to Taylor's Terriers as Jamie Wright who gave them a 1-0 lead. It was a lead they were to hold until half-time. They would need to defend as FC Dynamoes came right back at them and poured forward in such of the goal they needed to stay in the tournament.

The Taylor's Terriers defence held firm and kept their second clean sheet of the day to see them through to the Cup Semi-Finals. For FC Dynamoes it was an improved performance compared to their Lisbon 2013 showing and they have certainly showed us they possess the ability to suggest that on another day they could reach a Final and win a eurofootballfives.com tournament.