We hate to say we told you so, but the final of the last European Club Championship between Crefelder and Terrassa turned out to be a non-event. Perhaps it was the drizzle but Terrassa seemed to lack the drive and determination that gave them victory against Bloemendaal yesterday and the Germans’ more clinical style carried the day. From where I was sitting I could see Dutch national manager Roelant Oltmans being interviewed for Dutch television about the bronze medal match between Bloemendaal and Reading, and who can blame them for finding something more interesting to talk about than the game on the pitch? The single goal, when it came, was three minutes from time and was scored by Benjamin Wess.
Although, as an English news outlet, our disappointment at Reading’s fourth place is obvious, spare a thought for the Scots from Kelbourne. They played a superb tournament but through a combination of bad luck and poor umpiring decisions managed to find themselves in the 3rd/4th place crossover match against unfancied St Germain and lose on penalty strokes. That said, and unlike many European club competitions I have been to in the past, there were no “also rans” in the tournament this year
Meanwhile in Baku, Leicester should be proud of themselves for achieving the best result by an English club in this competition for some years, being beaten in the final by Den Bosch 2-1. Indeed, Den Bosch have held the cup since 1999 and this is the closest anyone has come to knocking them off their perch. The Scots from Bonagrass Grove suffered a similar disappointment to their countryfolk from Kelbourne, losing the 3rd/4th crossover match.
Our photographs show the push on Andrew Watts that led to Reading’s penalty stroke in the bronze medal match and action from the final between Crefelder and Terrassa.
