The start of Round 3 began with an enthralling encounter at the top of the table. It was Lucanos Locos versus JK Silvertown. Both teams had 2 wins from 2, both teams had scored 7 goals and both teams had conceded just the one. These were the two teams in first and second position in the table. Although early, this game felt it could be pivotal for the overall destination of the title.

These teams had met twice before – both at the 2023 Barcelona Veterans Fives. They met at the end of the group phase when JK Silvertown won 3-1 thanks to goals from Chris Wright x2 and Dan Cook. Szymon Holona had scored an equalizer for Lucanos Locos before the English team claimed victory. They then met in the Plate Final when JK Silvertown secured victory again but by the narrower margin of 1-0 with Chris Wright the man to separate the two teams.

The meeting of the two teams in Porto proved to be another tight contest. There was nothing to divide the teams in the opening period as we ended 0-0. In the second half though we were to see the deadlock broken. It was Pawel Zablocki who was on target for Lucanos Locos to give them a vital 1-0 lead. JK Silvertown were able to hit back though with Alan Sanders putting them back on level terms.

Chris Wright had been a thorn in the Lucanos Locos side with 3 goals against this opposition in 2 games. His previous goal was the winner in that Plate Final. Today, he was to score the winner again as JK Silvertown won the match 2-1. It was now 3 wins out of 3 for JK Silvertown in the tournament, 3 wins out of 3 against Lucanos Locos with Wright continuing his record of scoring in every game against them. This was a major hurdle completed by the English team in their quest for glory.

AFC Shooters were back in action next against Nothing Toulouse. Last year, AFC SHooters competed at the 2023 Barcelona Veterans and fell to defeat against Dickie Dogs, 1-0. They then lost 5-0 to Hungary's FC Miracle before getting 3 points on the board with a 2-0 win over Mitre Vets. Having lost their opening two games today (against the top two at the end of Round 2 it has to be said) they would be hoping it was to be third time lucky just as in Barca. Their opponents would be Nothing Toulouse who had so far clinched two victories from two games.

Nothing Toulouse could move level with JK Silvertown at the top if they could clinch another victory. If the French side were to achieve this they would need to come from behind as Joe Wihl put AFC Shooters ahead in the first half. It was the first time Nothing Toulouse had been behind today so this was an early test of their title credentials.

As much as they tried to get back into the game they came up against a resilient AFC Shooters team who were determined to hold onto their lead and put their first victory on the board. Ultimately, it was a task that was beyond Nothing Toulouse as the English team held on to collect all three points. Congratulations to AFC Shooters. Final score, 1-0.

The final match of Round 3 was Community Sauna versus G.D. Leoes da Guarda. For Community Sauna this was a chance to go joint top with JK Silvertown at the end of the round. Lucanos Locos and Nothing Toulouse had missed their opportunities, could Community Sauna take advantage?

G.D. Leoes da Guarda had lost both of their games so far. They had lost 3-0 to JK Silvertown and 2-1 to Nothing Toulouse. Although it was early in the tournament, this was a must win game for the Portuguese side. Claudio Duarte was on target for the home side in their last game and he was to continue his goal-scoring touch here in the first half to put the Lions 1-0 up. It got even better for G.D. Leoes da Guarda soon after as Carlo Jesus increased the lead to 2-0. The half-time whistle blew and the men in green and white were in control.

Community Sauna had come from behind against The Maulers in the last game but that was from 1-0 and they were level before the break. This time they had a 2 goal deficit and needed a stunning second half display if they were to rescue the situation. The G.D. Leoes defence stood firm though and kept their first clean sheet of the day. It was a great win for the Portuguese but a tough defeat for Community Sauna.