Unexpected Finalists Set for Spain Cup of Murcia 2025
In a surprising turn of events, Palma Futsal and Servigroup Peñíscola have advanced to the final of the Spain Cup of Murcia 2025, setting up an unprecedented championship match. Despite controversy surrounding RFEF’s invitation process for access to the Palacio de los Deportes, the semifinals showcased the top four teams in the regular league standings, confirming that the league rankings reflect true competitive strength.
Servigroup Peñíscola Stuns Barça
The league-leading Servigroup Peñíscola delivered a shocking upset against the defending champions, Barcelona, with a decisive 8-2 victory. Despite missing three key players due to injuries sustained in the quarterfinals—Pani, Elijah, and Diego Quintela—coach Juanqui rallied his team to an impressive performance.
Barcelona struck first when Antonio Pérez scored within the opening three minutes, but the momentum quickly shifted. The veteran Extremadura striker Juanqui demonstrated masterful pivot play, scoring twice in a single minute to give Peñíscola the lead. Gauna extended the advantage to 3-1 with a precise right-footed shot that Barça goalkeeper Dídac Plana couldn’t stop.
After halftime, Peñíscola continued their dominant performance when Pablo Muñoz made it 4-1 in the first minute of the second half. With goalkeeper Gus playing exceptionally well, Barcelona appeared disorganized while coach Tino Pérez struggled to make effective adjustments from the bench.
Diego Sancho and Víctor Pérez further increased Peñíscola’s lead. Despite Barça’s desperate tactical shift to a five-player offensive formation with Pito as the goalkeeper-player for the final 15 minutes, they managed only one more goal through Matheus. Meanwhile, Brazilian Lucas scored twice more against Barcelona’s ineffective five-player setup.
The Murcia crowd clearly favored Peñíscola, celebrating their goals as if the team were playing at home. Barcelona’s misery was compounded when Catela left the court injured on a stretcher. This painful defeat leaves coach Tino Pérez without any titles by March, with only the league remaining to salvage Barcelona’s season.
Palma Futsal Overcomes Their Nemesis
In the first semifinal, Palma Futsal eliminated Movistar Inter—a team that had historically dominated them in cup competitions—advancing to a national final for the first time. The match ended 3-3 in regulation time before Palma prevailed in a penalty shootout.
Early opportunities saw Movistar Inter hitting both the crossbar and post through Javi Mínguez and Carlos Bartolomé respectively. Palma opened the scoring five minutes before halftime when Bruno Gomes converted a rebound following Fabinho’s shot.
The match intensified in the closing minutes of the first half. Carlos Bartolomé equalized with an impressive left-footed shot, but Ernesto quickly restored Palma’s lead. Bartolomé struck again just before the interval after executing a spectacular nutmeg against Fabinho.
In the second half, goalkeeper Luan Muller was outstanding for Palma, while Neguinho extended their lead by finishing a play initiated by Jesús Gordillo. Lucâo’s quality created an opportunity for Baby to equalize at 3-3. A ten-meter penalty opportunity for Fabinho was saved by Jesús García, and Alberto Riquer’s tactical five-player offensive strategy yielded no results.
The penalty shootout proved dramatic with several saves from both goalkeepers. Ultimately, Ernesto converted the decisive penalty to secure Palma Futsal’s place in Sunday’s final.
Federation Changes
Spanish futsal is undergoing changes led by RFEF President Rafael Louzán. Former national team coach Javier Lozano, representing the clubs’ association, attended the semifinals after a six-year absence—a symbolic gesture reflecting the federation’s efforts to normalize relations with first and second division clubs following a meeting in Las Rozas on March 17.
