Igualada Rigat has won its sixth league title with great success after winning the fifth and final game of the playoffs for the OK Liga title on penalties. And he has done it at the home of a Liceo that had won the first two games in La Coruña by a landslide, which adds more relevance to its feat.
Despite the electrifying atmosphere in a packed Riazor Sports Palace that had already carried their team in the first two games of these playoffs, Igualada did not give up and managed to take the lead on the scoreboard with a cross shot by Biel Llanes, just before the first five minutes of the game were up, which surprised the Spanish team’s goalkeeper, Blai Roca.
This setback did not derail the Galician team, who managed to equalize the score with just under five minutes left before the break with a rogue action by his captain, Dava Torres, attentive to a rebound on the sheet to beat Arnau Martínez.
The local goal did not alter the script for Igualada, who came out very motivated again in the second period. In fact, The Harlequin team scored again through Miguel Cañadillas from Madridwhich he defined with mastery in a counter.
Less than a minute later, Biel Llanes was not able to take advantage of a direct free kick and then he was the high school student Arnau Xaus the one who wasted a similar sanction to reestablish the tie.
Midway through the second part, Dava Torres took advantage of a penalty committed by Joan Ruano to beat Arnau Martínez again and tie at two. There were 13 minutes left in a duel of titans in which Igualada withstood the locals’ challenge. Nothing to do with the 8-2 of the first two matches in Galician lands.
Dava Torres was able to round off his great night with a direct free kick with six minutes and five seconds remainingbut this time he could not deceive the Igualada goalkeeper and the match ended up going into extra time. Perhaps the fairest thing in the first playoffs for the title that reached the fifth game in almost 20 years.
The extra ten minutes, with chances for both sides, did not produce a champion so the title was decided from the penalty spot. And there it was more accurate Igualada, who scored through Joel Roma and Marc González while the Liceo missed its four shots against an immense Arnau Martínez, harlequin hero of a league that has been waiting almost 30 years.
