The Murcia under-19 futsal team is one step away from re-validating the national title against the Catalan team
The Murcia Under-19 futsal team was just one step away from reclaiming the title of Spanish champion after a 3-1 defeat to Catalonia in the final. In the match in the Serrerías de Molina de Segura pavilion, the Murcians experienced the same final from a year ago. Only on that occasion, the players led by Antonio Emilio Huelbes and Pedro Almela defeated the Catalan team 4-1 in El Ferrol and won the gold medal.
On this occasion, the Murcian team revived an epic final, taking the lead after a minute and a half through Iraia Romero, who put it tight at the far post, with nothing to do from Claudia Hernández. The team from Murcia kept up the pressure and Catalonia closed the gap with two minutes left before the break. Just resumed the game, a mistake on a disallow turned the score. The ball bounced off Helena Rodríguez’s face and ended up in Ana Rubio’s goal (2-1). Catalonia were ahead and despite a number of clear chances in the final minutes – even playing with a goalkeeper – the Catalans scored the final 1-3 with eleven seconds left.
To reach the final, the Murcians defeated the Canary Islands (9-0) and Madrid (3-0) in the qualifying phase, and Valencia in the semi-finals on penalties (2-2). The Under-16 team, led by Francisco Franco, in turn failed to progress beyond the first stage, as it drew against Extremadura (4-4) and lost to the Community of Madrid (4-2).
The match continues in the men’s draw. The U-16 and U-19 futsal teams will play the last phase of the Spanish championships in Galicia from March 1 to 5. In the quarter-finals, the U-16 team led by Diego Valdivieso will face the Balearic Islands; while the U-19 team takes on Madrid. In the first phase, the youth team scored 20 goals for and 6 against. The Murcians defeated Asturias 10-0, Castilla y León 3-1 and the Canary Islands 6-2 in today’s last matchday and lost 3-1 to Castilla-La Mancha. Madrid, for its part, defeated La Rioja (8-2), Navarra (4-1) and Melilla (2-0) to reach the quarter-finals with a balance of 14 goals for and 3 against.
For its part, the Under-16 team finished first in the group after an impeccable conclusion to their participation in the previous stage. The Cadets beat Castilla La Mancha (2-4) in their last game and before
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
