Óquei de Barcelos clinched a strong third-place finish in the inaugural Roller Hockey Club World Championship. The Portuguese squad secured their spot on the podium with a dominant 10-4 victory over Centro Valenciano on Sunday. The action unfolded in San Juan, Argentina, where the global tournament is taking place.
The team from Barcelos showed impressive firepower throughout the bronze medal match. Miguel Rocha led the charge, netting a hat-trick with three goals. Franco Ferruccio, Kyllian Gil, and Pedro Silva each added two goals to the tally. Carlos Ramos rounded out the scoring for Óquei de Barcelos with a single strike. Playing in front of their home crowd, Centro Valenciano found the net through Luca Garcés, who scored twice. Franco Gómez and Víctor Carrasco each contributed one goal for the Argentine side.
This impressive win was a consolation prize for the European champions. Óquei de Barcelos had faced a tough challenge in the semi-finals, ultimately falling 3-1 to Sporting. Meanwhile, Sporting is now set to clash with FC Barcelona in the championship final. FC Barcelona earned their place in the final by defeating Centro Valenciano with a decisive 5-0 scoreline in their own semi-final match.
The highly anticipated final of this historic Club World Cup, held in San Juan, is scheduled to kick off at 00:30, Lisbon time.