Atlético de Madrid beat Valencia in an agonizing penalty shootout (1-1) in the first semi-final of the tournament
Real Madrid, for its part, had to come back from Villarreal to certify their presence in the match for the title (1-2)
LaLiga Promises in Orlando will be decided with a derby between the two best teams in the Spanish capital. Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid eliminated Villarreal and Valencia, respectively, and will play for the title this Sunday. Meringues and colchoneros will meet at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in search of the coveted champion trophy, while the match for third and fourth place will also face two teams from the same autonomous community, in this case Valencia.
The two semifinals were delayed due to an electrical storm, but could be held normally from two in the morning (Spanish time). In fact, the temperature was ideal. Not a trace of the heat that has monopolized the entire VI LaLiga Promises Santander International Tournament. In the first tie, Atlético de Madrid subscribed to the epic. He went ahead on the scoreboard just before the break, in a psychological moment, through Rubén Gómez. Valencia equalized the contest in the resumption thanks to Adrià Sales, strong candidate for the Pichichi award.
On penalties, Atlético had to match ‘che”s successes, which they had thrown before, until Albelda’s son, David, missed two consecutive penalties. The referee forced the shot to be repeated because the Madrid goalkeeper, Javier Querencia, went ahead of time. The goalkeeper corrected his mistake with a providential intervention that earned him a ticket to the final.
Manu and Bryan lead Madrid
Real Madrid, for its part, he also had to suffer to ensure his participation in the title match. The semifinal could not have started worse for the whites. In the first minute of play, Jairo beat Guille Ponce. The merengue goalkeeper had not received any goal until then. Villareal struck first, but Juan Carlos Duque’s men showed personality and came from behind. Manu Romero scored a double; Bryan Bugarín was his great ally with the two assists. The ‘groguet’ team fought until the end. The marker, however, did not move any further.
The final day of LaLiga Promises will begin this Sunday with the match for third and fourth place between Villarreal and Valencia (5:00 p.m.). Then it will be the turn for Real Madrid and Atlético to put all the cards on the table and try to take the champion trophy to the showcases of your museum (5:30 p.m.).