It was Cup Final time in Porto. After 42 games of football we came down to the most important of them all. Game 43, the match that would determine the 2024 Porto Sixes champions. Who would be celebrating as the tournament reached its conclusion?

This is how we lined-up:

5ive Guys (Eng)

Best appearance to date: Debut

Record today: Played 6, Won 5, Drawn 1, Lost 0.

Goal difference today: 17-5

Current unbeaten run: 6 games

Today's top goalscorer: Adrian Anumba (4)

Clean sheets: 3

Polonia Limerick (Pol)

Best appearance to date: 2022 Barcelona Fives Plate Winners, 2023 Mallorca Fives Cup Runners Up

Record today: Played 6, Won 3, Drawn 3, Lost 0.

Goal difference today: 9-0

Current unbeaten run: 6 games.

Today's top goalscorer: Kuba Cieloch (5)

Clean sheets: 6

This promised to be a fascinating game – it was our top scorers versus the team with the second best defence in the tournament. It was the two teams who had the best goal differences in the tournament, it was two teams who were unbeaten today and it was two teams who had drawn 0-0 when they met earlier in the tournament.

It was Polonia Limerick's third appearance in our tournaments and their third final. Should they win this Cup competition then they would become the 13th team in eurofootballfives.com history to boast both a Cup title and a Plate title on their CV.

Both teams battled hard in a tense first half, but just like in their previous encounter, neither could find a way through, resulting in a 0-0 score at half-time.

In the second half, as the game wore on it looked increasingly looked like we might get another stalemate between these two teams and we'd need a penalty shoot-out to decide the title. The game was enthralling and entertaining but crying out for a goal. Cometh the hour, cometh the man and that man was Bartek Bernacik. Polonia Limerick had finally broken the deadlock and held what could well be a decisive lead especially given their defensive solidity throughout the event. Despite 5ive Guys' best efforts to equalise, Polonia's defence remained resolute. There is no shame in that as no team had been able to find a way through this remarkable defence. Dominik Olczak, Polonia Limerick's goalkeeper, who had been outstanding throughout the tournament, was once again impenetrable. Remarkably, Olczak finished the entire tournament without conceding a single goal, further solidifying his role in Polonia Limerick's success.

With Bernacik's goal and Olczak's clean sheet, Polonia Limerick secured a 1-0 victory and lifted the Cup, completing their campaign in style. It was the first time a team had won a title in our 18-year history without conceding a goal. It was also the first victory for a Polish team in our tournaments outside of Poland. It was a phenomenal achievement by Polonia Limerick that was only to get better when their Super Vets team won the Super Veterans category shortly after.

Our commiserations go to 5ive Guys who had played well today but were unable to find a way through the Polish wall! Ultimately that was probably the difference between picking up the trophy and not doing so.

Congratulations to Polonia Limerick on their remarkable triumph at the 2024 Porto Sixes! Their journey to the title was built on a perfect blend of resolute defending, sharp attacking play, and unyielding determination. They demonstrated their quality at every stage against some strong opposition. Their 1-0 victory in the final was the culmination of an outstanding campaign, and they can take immense pride in lifting the Cup after such a disciplined performance. They were popular winners and it was fantastic to see all the guys again. This victory could well be the first of many if they could recreate this form in the future.

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