Barcelona Fives Tournament 2025 Tour Report Group A Round 1

Results

Berkshirelona FC (Eng)	1	V	3	Argon'ze A (Fra)
Easter Island FC (Eng)	1	V	2	Cream of the South (Eng)
Team PL Blue Boys (Pol)	1	V	1	Just A Boy FC (Eng)

Berkshirelona FC (Eng) made their debut at the 2025 Porto Tournament. They got off to a flyer with a 3-1 victory over Fylde FC Old Boys. There was then a narrow 1-0 loss to the eventual champions, Galacticos. Another narrow loss, 2-1, followed against Flying High before going down to Mitre FC A, 4-1. A 1-0 loss to Deportivo Dooradoyle and a 3-0 defeat to FC Prelada meant they were eliminated at the end of the group phase. They played better than their results suggested so we anticipate a stronger string of results in Barcelona.

Today however they began with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Cream of the South. They had an ominous looking 2 nd fixture against Argon'ze A who swept to a 3-0 victory in the opening game of Group A. Argon'ze A continued their superb start to the Barcelona Fives with another commanding performance to make it two wins from two. The French side showed real purpose from the opening whistle and soon took the lead through Alexis Badard, who continued his blistering form in front of goal. He then struck again to double the advantage before half-time — taking his personal tally to four goals in two games and underlining his status as one of the tournament's standout early performers. Berkshirelona FC battled hard but found themselves trailing 2-0 at the break.

In the second half, Argon'ze A maintained their grip on the match with a strong mix of composure and confidence. Alann Goerke made it 3-0, effectively ending any hopes of a Berkshirelona comeback. Despite the scoreline, Berkshirelona FC kept fighting and were rewarded for their persistence when Huw Williams found the net — his team's first goal of the day — to make it 3-1. It was a deserved consolation for their efforts, even if it arrived too late to influence the outcome. The result meant Argon'ze A remained top of Group A, boasting a perfect record and looking every bit a contender for the Cup qualification spots.

Last year, Cream of the South competed at the 2024 Amsterdam Sevens. They drew a tough group and opened up with a 4-0 loss to WWK DB and 2-0 defeat to Raiders Amsterdam. They then met eventual champions Scoop FC (6-1 defeat) before renewing rivalries with Mngball FC from Krakow which they lost 4-0. They ended their group campaign with a couple of goals against FNF on Tour but sadly shipped 6 at the other end. Cream of the South now turned their attentions to the Fives format in Barcelona.

It had started pretty well with an opening game victory. Now, Cream of the South made it two wins from two in Group A after a hard-fought and entertaining 2-1 victory over Easter Island FC. Both sides had begun their Barcelona Fives campaigns with impressive opening wins, so this clash always promised to be an early test of title credentials. It was Cream of the South who struck first, with Graham Connolly putting his team ahead midway through the first half. His well-taken goal gave the English side a narrow 1-0 half-time lead.

Easter Island FC, however, were not about to roll over. They responded superbly after the break, increasing their tempo and pushing Cream of the South deeper into their own half. Their pressure paid off when Alex Roberts — who had also scored in their opening match — struck again to level the score at 1-1, maintaining his own fine form in front of goal. The match looked finely balanced at that stage, with both sides threatening to grab the decisive goal.

That winner came from Alberto Pankhania, who finished clinically to restore Cream of the South's advantage and secure a vital 2-1 win. The result marked their best-ever start to a eurofootballfives.com tournament, signalling their intent to be real contenders in Barcelona this year.

Team PL Blue Boys Dublin (Pol) arrived at this tournament as a new but formidable force, born from the merger of two highly respected sides on the eurofootballfives circuit – Polonia Limerick and AFC Blue Boys Dublin. Both teams have built impressive pedigrees over recent seasons, consistently progressing deep into competitions and regularly collecting silverware. Polonia Limerick made their mark with Plate victories in Barcelona 2022 and Mallorca 2023 before going on to complete a sensational double in Porto 2024, lifting both the Open Age and Super Veterans titles. Meanwhile, AFC Blue Boys have been one of the most consistent Polish entrants, reaching multiple Semi-Finals and Finals across Europe, including an outstanding run to the Barcelona Veterans Cup Final in 2023.

This was a much-changed team with more youth than previous seasons but still with the wise old heads of Mariusz Kupsiak and Andrzej Sobieski who both competed here in Barcelona just last week for the Super Veterans tournament. The Polish team opened up with a 3-0 loss last time out and were looking to kickstart their challenge against Just A Boy FC.

Both Team PL Blue Boys and Just A Boy FC came into this encounter looking to bounce back after opening-day defeats, and the intensity of the early exchanges reflected that shared determination. It was Just A Boy FC who struck first as their efforts were rewarded when Ben Charles-Williams broke the deadlock, finishing confidently to put the English side 1-0 ahead. The goal gave them a much-needed boost after a tough start to their Barcelona Fives campaign, and they went into the break with a slender but valuable advantage.

The second half saw Team PL Blue Boys grew stronger and their persistence paid off when Majus Marma struck a well-taken equaliser to make it 1-1, breathing new life into their tournament hopes. From there, the match opened up, with both teams chasing a winner. Despite late pressure from both sides, neither could find the decisive breakthrough, and the contest ended level. While the draw meant both teams were still searching for their first win, it at least got each side off the mark — a result that kept their Plate qualification hopes alive heading into the later rounds.

Table

Team	Pld	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Agst	Pts
Argon'ze A (Fra)	2	2	0	0	6	1	6
Cream of the South (Eng)	2	2	0	0	3	1	6
Easter Island FC (Eng)	2	1	0	1	5	3	3
Team PL Blue Boys (Pol)	2	0	1	1	2	5	1
Just A Boy FC (Eng	2	0	1	1	1	4	1
Berkshirelona FC (Eng)	2	0	0	2	1	4	0