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RCD Espanyol win LaLiga FC Futures tournament
The Under-12s A team win the Spanish competition in Villarreal
RCD Espanyol were the winners of the prestigous LaLiga FC Futures tournament this past weekend, with the Under-12s A team beating Sevilla in the final on penalties.
The team arrived in Villarreal on Thursday as one of the outside shots for the competition, but had excellent showing during the group stage to state their case.
The young talents had to overcome a difficult group, winning it and going undefeated after victories over Real Betis and Osasuna and draws against Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal.
In the quarterfinals, they beat Real Sociedad 1-0, and in the semifinals, they were able to overcome Real Madrid 3-2 -withstanding a comeback from one of the sides tipped to win the tournament.
The final against Sevilla ended in a 1-1 draw after regular time and the 5-minute extra time period. That led to a decisive penalty shootout, in which Espanyol dispatched all three of their spot kicks to become champions.
It was their third LaLiga FC Futures title, their seventh in total including international editions.
Espanyol not only won the XXXII Ascale LaLiga FC Futures Tournament, but they also took home individual awards: Gorka Cantín, with five goals, was the competition's joint top scorer, tying with Jaume Casanovas of FC Barcelona. He was also named the tournament's MVP. Martí Rey took home the award for best goalkeeper.
After a short but intense celebration, the champion team headed to Barcelona, where they played in the Copa de Catalunya final that same day.