Spectacular final day
On a fine Sunday morning the circumstances were perfect for the final day of the Otten Cup. For both groups it was decision day.
Group A saw Real Madrid meet Benfica in a clash for a spot in the final. Real Madrid started very strong and closed down Benfica early. This resulted in a 2-0 lead at half time. Benfica managed to equalize early in the second half, but eventually the Spaniards got two more goals which were enough for them to reach the final.
Hosts PSV were struggling in their match against Eintracht Braunschweig and got a last minute equalizer (with ten men) to reach third place in the group.
The other match in the group between Glenavon and Widzew Lodz ended in a 2-1 victory for the Northern Irish side, which saw them clinch fifth place in the group, while Widzew Lodz ended sixth.
In group B it was still very much open who would clinch a spot in the final. SC Bastia beat Rapid Wien 4-0, while Barcelona was long on 0-0 against Una. Una replaced FC Magdeburg today, as the Germans had to leave early because of a domestic cup match on Monday. Barcelona needed a win to reach the final and got a goal one minute from the final whistle.
This would result in a El Clásico final against archrival Real Madrid. Bastia scored one goal less than needed for the final.
Galatasary beat FC Eindhoven 3-0 to become the opponent of hosts PSV.
Now the final matches could be played. Rapid Wien clinched 11th place by beating Widzew Lodz 2-3.
Glenavon beat UNA 4-0 to finish 9th. But Una can be proud of their performance today. Clearly they had given a lot against Barcelona, but still put in a credible performance against Glenavon.
Eintracht Braunschweig finished 7th by beating FC Eindhoven 2-0.
Hosts PSV eventually finished 6th losing after a penalty shoot out (4-5). The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Galatasaray clinched 5th place with this win.
Emotions ran high in the battle for third place. This resulted in two red cards for Bastia, who still managed to hold out for a draw. In the penalty shoot out the French were the coolest and beat Benfica 5-3.
A baby El Clásico was to be the final. Real Madrid had the better style of play and made it hard for Barcelona to play their game. The majority of the match was set on the Catalan half, without leading to many chances. A late spot kick for Real Madrid was the decider in this final. This made Real Madrid winner of the sixty seventh edition of the Otten Cup and they supersede last years winner Barcelona.
This message was published on Sunday 4 August 2013 at 18:27
