The
Cup Group would see each of the four finalists
have 3 games against each other to decide, without
doubt, who would be 2009 Valencia Fives champions.
The
first game would be between Playoff Group B winners,
Legends, and runners-up,
Prisoners, on Pitch
A. When they met first time round the game had
been close at half-time with the teams level at
1-1 before the Spanish team ran away with the
result in the second half. In this game Legends
carried on where they left off after the group
meeting as they hit three unanswered goals in
the first half against Prisoners. The goals were
scored by Siexxa, Londozo Gil and Drmdudu Msud.
The
Prisoners with just 5 players were beginning to
feel the heat in the Valencia sun as the lack
of subs gave no respite for their players. It
is only to their credit that they summoned up
an impressive second half performance to come
back into this game. Goals from Swede Kalle Magnusson
and Argentine Alejandro Parcolazo gave the Prisoners
something to cheer but a Luis Marias Lopez strike
for the Legends kept them at arms length and secured
a 4-2 victory that would see them top the Cup
group at the end of Round 1.
On
Pitch B, we would see the two teams emerging from
Group B meet each other for a second time. Shabbier
edged a close game 2-1 in the morning phase
and this game promised to be every bit of tight.
In the end it was a thriller with the watching
galleries treated to a 9 goal extravaganza and
when the referee blew the final whistle it would
be just the one goal that separated these two
sides. In the first half it was 9
Nana Budds who took the early initiative
and led at the break 3-2. There was ebb and flow
throughout the game but it was always 9 Nana Budds
one step ahead but never pulling away. Shabbier
showed firm resistance as they kept bringing the
game back to prevent 9 Nana Budds pulling away.
This
game was worthy of a knock-out final as the two
teams fought like boxers going hell for leather
in the ring. It was blow for blow and when the
sands of time ran out it was 9 Nana Budds who
returned to their corner in triumph with a priceless
5-4 victory.
MP
Matthews was continuing his charge to be top goalscorer
as he bagged his 10th and 11th goals of the tournament
with Sam Gabriel and Cameron Parker also finding
the net for Shabbier. For 9 Nana Budds the goalscoring
heroes were Paul Taylor, Alex Easter, Jack Kennedy
and Will Crowther (2). Will Crowther the man with
the crucial deciding goal. |