Results
 

RAF3 (Por)

1

V

2

Lindfield FC (Eng)

PFC (Bra)

1

v

0

RAF1 (Por)

 

We were at the 2023 Lisbon Tournament Cup Semi-Final stage and from the 14 teams who signed up we were down to the final 4 – already an achievement for those who were still in the hunt for glory. The first Cup Semi-Final would see RAF3 (Por) versus Lindfield FC (Eng).

RAF3 came into this game as the top-ranked team from the group phase. They won Group A and secured the most points of any team in the group phase – 16 from a possible 18. They had scored the most goals (17), conceded the least (1), had the most clean sheets (5) and the best goal difference (+16).

It was a daunting prospect for Lindfield FC but they had shown in our tournaments before they were a quality team having reached the 2022 Mallorca Fives Cup Final last year and just missed out on glory to a couple of late goals against a fine Ecuador 100% team. They'd made a slow start today with 1 point from 6 before 3 successive wins. Last time out they suffered a setback losing 3-0 to PFC so would need to bounce back quickly.

The English team got off to the ideal start when Louis Pople found space at the back post to fire Lindfield FC 1-0 ahead. In such games the first goal often proves vital as it dictates the pattern for the rest of the game but that was negated by Pedro Marques's equalizer. It was his first of the day and what an important time to get it.

Lindfield FC were not to be denied though and they went back ahead through 2022 Mallorca Fives' top scorer, Stuart Brown. This time there was no way back for RAF3 and the top ranked team were out. Lindfield FC had reached another Cup Final.

 
 
 

So, who would take their place in the Final from the second Semi-Final? The two teams set to do battle were PFC (Bra) against RAF2 (Por).

 

RAF were staging their third campaign to try and secure Lisbon glory. At the 2019 edition of the tournament they won the Plate competition (as Hellgarve's Kraken) but it was the Cup they really craved. They were so close last year as they reached the Cup Final but missed out on winners' medals to CDAL (2-0).

 

PFC (Bra) also had a rich history in this tournament. They were champions here in 2017, Plate winners in 2018, runners-up in 2019 and lost in the Cup Quarter-Finals last year. This was also to the eventual champions, CDAL.

 

Today there was little to choose between the teams in the group phase with RAF1 taking 15 points from 18 (the only game they lost was to their sister squad RAF3). PFC took 13 points from 18 in Group B which included a 1-1 draw against RA2. Interestingly, they dropped points in 2 games – to the teams that finished in the bottom 2. This suggests they raise their game against the top teams.

 

We expected a close game and that is exactly what we got. In a game with few chances the defining moment of the game came from Gerson Teixeira – his sixth goal of the tournament. It was a goal that sent PFC through to a third Cup Final at this event.

 

For RAF it was to be disappointment for another season but they seem to be so close to glory we are sure it will come soon but it was not to be in 2023.

 
 
Click on links below to proceed to
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
   
 
 
 
 
©Copyright 2006 | eurofootballfives.com
site disclaimer | contact us