06.02.2011 20:33

Champions! (3-2)

Llorenç Tarrés (enviat especial)

It’s here! Barça Alusport have their first title, their first Cup. Marc Carmona’s team took the Spanish Cup in Segovia this evening by overcoming El Pozo 3-2.

The final hooter was a signal for great scenes of celebration from the players, back room staff and fans who had made the trip to the Pedro Delgado Sports Hall in Segovia. From tomorrow, the Spanish Cup will now reside in the Club Museum and that was worth a celebration that will be remembered for quite some time!

Barça Alusport won the Cup after an excellent showing in the tournament, with a solid debut, a semi final that showed they knew how to suffer and the final tonight where they resisted El Pozo’s finest minutes and showed great effectiveness in front of goal best exemplified, as ever, by the Brazilian, Wilde Gomes da Silva. Barça beat a team who have been champions of everything and who have shown themselves so often to be almost unbeatable.

Early strike

The game began with El Pozo showing off their excellent ability to move the ball around, but it was Barça who struck first when after just two minutes Wilde pounced on a Raul parry from a brilliant Torras shot to put them one up with a shot that was impossible to stop. This was a game when the big players had to stand up and be counted and both Wilde and Torras showed they could do just that, as they put Barça ahead.

El Pozo dug deep and came close to drawing level on a number of occasions, but Cristian, who’s had a great tournament, was always on hand. As again was Wilde, getting Barça’s second after being put through by Javi Rodríguez and celebrating it spectacularly.

The goal seemed to set El Pozo back, as they saw Barça taking control of the game and playing some fantastic football. Igor hit the bar with a rocket shot, Fernandão was looking solid, Saad was very active and the omnipresent Wilde very nearly made it three before the break.

Maximum effort and maximum suffering

After the break, Barça Alusport, who looked fresher physically and mentally, came close twice and then got the third goal – as Chico rounded off a counter begun by Cristian and set up by a back heel from Saad.

Just when it looked as if the game was all sewn up, a lost ball in midfield led to Alvaro grabbing a goal for El Pozo and with 12 minutes left they brought on a keeper-outfield player and began to fight back.

But Barça Alusport held out with maximum effort, maximum suffering, a few strokes of luck and some great saves from Cristian -sufficient ingredients to ensure the win and the title - a title that is surely the start of more to come.

Dani Salgado made it 3-2 in the last minute, but Barça kept their cool and it was they who celebrated making history – a celebration they thoroughly deserved.