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RCD Espanyol win LaLiga Promises tournament!
Under 13s triumph in LaLiga Promises after defeating FC Barcelona in the final
RCD Espanyol’s academy have capped off 2022 with a piece of silverware by winning the LaLiga Promises tournament. A perfect campaign for Espanyol’s Infantil B (under-13s) team saw them win the Club’s fourth LaLiga Promises title, and the first since 2013.
The young pericos competed in the group of death and managed to progress to the knockout stages by finishing second. They beat English club Liverpool 1-0 before drawing with fellow Spanish sides Villarreal and Sevilla, 0-0 and 1-1 respectively.
In the quarter-finals, Espanyol beat Real Madrid on penalties in what was a tightly-fought match, in which they deservedly came out on top against one of the tournament favourites.
The semi-finals saw them come up against Sevilla once again, and just like the previous round, it went to penalties. Just like the quarter-finals, the pericos triumphed in the shoot-out, with Pau Casagolda making the decisive save to send them to the final.
FC Barcelona awaited them in the final after eliminating Real Betis in their semi-final. A Barcelona derby in Maspalomas to decide the champion, in what had already been a thrilling tournament.
Espanyol, who had been very solid defensively, were the better side on the pitch and went 2-0 up thanks to a superb solo effort by Iván Latif and Aitor Torondel’s cool penalty. Barça pulled one back late on to close the gap, but it would prove to be a consolation and out of their reach: Espanyol were LaLiga Promises champions.
Regarding individual awards, Latif was named MVP of the tournament, capping off his campaign with the opening goal in the final.
The daily work carried out at the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque is shown to the world in times like today, as is the quality and commitment of the RCD Espanyol de Barcelona academy.
Congratulations, team!