The heart-stopping penalty shootout once again decided an indoor soccer World Cup, in this case Balaguer, Catalonia 2024 in the C20 category, with the consecration of the Colombian team that in sudden death beat Paraguay 3 to 1, in a game that went into extra time without being able to unbalance and closing the figures 3 to 3.
In the two previous editions, it was not necessary to resort to this procedure, since in the first edition in Chile in 2014, Argentina had beaten Paraguay in regulation time by 5 to 3, and in the second in Colombia in 2018, the Guaranis got their revenge by winning, but in extra time by 3 to 2.
It is not the first thorn that has been stuck in the heart of Paraguayan indoor soccer, as it already had the hard experience of experiencing the bitter taste of a sudden death defeat in the 1991 adult World Cup in Milan, Italy, when it fell by that route to Portugal, after a 1-1 draw in the regular period and extra time.
It was a final between the two best teams of the C20 World Cup in Catalonia, as both teams arrived undefeated to the grand final with these victories:
COLOMBIA defeated France 12-2, Catalonia 4-0 and Mexico 3-0 in the qualifying round; Mexico 6-0 in the quarter-finals; Brazil 5-1 in the semi-finals and Paraguay 3-1 on penalties, after a 3-3 draw in normal time.
In turn, the red and white Guarani squad beat Australia 7-1, Italy 6-3 and Monaco 10-1 in the first chapter, beating Catalonia 4-2 in the semi-finals and losing the grand final in the manner already mentioned.
The podium was completed by Brazil, which finished in third place after having defeated Uruguay in the match for the bronze medal by 5 to 3.
FINAL TABLE
1 – Colombia,
2 – Paraguay,
3 – Brazil,
4 – Uruguay,
5- Mexico,
6- Catalonia,
7- Italy,
8- Australia,
9 – France,
10 – Monaco,
11- India and
12- Morocco
MVP: Rocco de Ponte
