The
two Cup Semi-Finals saw home Spanish teams taken
on travelling English opposition for a place in
the 2014 Valencia Fives Cup Final.
Both
teams came into the game with 4 wins and 1 defeat
to their names thus far. If anything HMNB Portsmouth
had been more emphatic with their victories which
may have made them slight favourites going into
the game. With each passing round/fixture the
games were getting more and more important with
much more at stake. These two teams were one win
away from a European final and maybe that would
explain why this match was a tense and feisty
affair.
The
first half came and went with the teams still
locked together at 1-1 as Daniel Kerr bagged his
12 th of the day for HMNB Portsmouth to be cancelled
out by Sparta's Christian Perello Agudo.
In
the second half, Sparta forged ahead through Miguel
Morcillo Aguado and with time running out it looked
like it could be a winning lead. Sparta then conceded
a late penalty which HMNB goalkeeper Matthew Shortt
stepped to take and score. It meant we finished
at 2-2 and would need a penalty shoot-out to decide
the outcome.
It
would be Sparta to start the penalty shoot-out;
1-0
as Miguel Morcill Aguado powered past the keeper.
1-0
it remained as Matthew Shortt could not repeat
his pen in normal time.
2-0
as Sergio Alvarez Garcia scored.
2-1
Chris Reeves kept it alive powering his pen past
the keepers right hand.
2-1
a lifeline as Matthew Shortt saved the final Sparta
penalty.
2-2
Daniel Kerr slotted home to take us into sudden
death.
3-2
Adrian De La Torre Moreno converted to put the
pressure back on HMNB.
3-2
it remained as Andrew Todd saw Eugenio Gonzalez
Serrano save his penalty.
It
was a contest worthy of a Cup Final but sadly
for HMNB Portsmouth we had to say farewell to
them thinking of what might have been. Sparta
had qualified for the Cup Final. |
