Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, Dec 15. - Havana won the Closing Tournament of the 108th National Football League after defeating Santiago de Cuba two goals to one in the final on Sunday at the La Polar stadium in the island's capital.
Both teams created chances in the first half, but the goal didn't come until the second half, when Rigual Herrera finished off a counterattack in numerical superiority for the Red Devils, as reported by the digital edition of the sports publication JIT.
Later, Jean Carlos Iglesias proved cleverer than everyone just after entering the field, pouncing on a loose ball in the area to score the temporary equalizer for the Lions.
The psychological blow for the visitors of being unable to hold the lead dampened their spirits and confused their tactics: the order that had given them good dividends disappeared, and in its place came long balls.
Trapped in desperation, they relinquished possession and lost control of the midfield until, in another frantic play, Didier Reinoso—who raised the stands when he came on as a substitute in the second half—scored the second goal for the Havana side.
There was barely any time left for the eastern team to overturn the deficit, and the remainder of the match dissolved into desperate attempts to find the opponent's goal without success.
Thus came the final whistle, and the capital's team lifted the championship crown after 24 years without achieving it, since Francisco Fariñas led them to the title in the 2000-2001 season.
"I am very happy, this is the second title of the year after winning the Opening Tournament. The boys have done good work, and it's also nice to give a title back to Havana after so many years without achieving it," Lázaro Rodríguez, coach of the new champions, told JIT.
In a match played earlier, Guantánamo defeated Villa Clara for the bronze medal, thanks to goalkeeper Yorlan Urgellés, who saved what could have been the lead for the Central Express in the final minutes of the match and then stopped two shots in the penalty shootout, following the 0-0 draw in the 90 minutes of the clash. (Source: ACN)
