Four more goals by the Spanish striker give the Madrileñas their first Euro Winners Cup crown
Madrid CFF became the new queens of Europe, after beating WFC Zvezda in a thrilling final today in Nazaré. Captain Alba Mellado starred for the Spaniards once more, and added four more goals to her tally to not only clinch the competition’s top scorer trophy, but to mark the difference in a truly balanced game.
Although the tournament’s MVP Anna Cherniakova opened the scoring in the first minutes of the game, Mellado and Estela made it 3-1 by the end of the second leg, with Madrid’s number ten adding for the 4-1.
When former Zvezda player Sheva Gorshkova made it 5-1, the outcome seemed clear, but the Russian side would not give up. Cherniakova and Kanaeva, Zvezda’s most prolific players in the competition, together with goalkeeper Anna Akylbaeva, scored twice to keep Ivan Kanaev’s side in the fight.
They rallied late on, showing belief and reserve, but Alba Mellado (who else?) would cut their wings with a 6-3 scoreline, a goal that would finally seal an historic win for Madrid CFF, finalists in the 2019 edition, who finally got their hands on the Cup in 2021.
Terrassa seal the bronze
The shock entrance of the debutants Terrassa provided more surprises and, although they could not make it to the final, upset yet another big opponent today, Marseille BT, in the fight for the third position in the Women’s Euro Winners Cup. The Catalans amazingly came from 5-2 behind in the last stage of the game, and grasped the bronze from the penalty kick spot in a dramatic shootout.
