The final day of the 74th Otten Innovation Cup started with a nerve-wracking penalty shootout between PSV and Red Bull Bragantino. After intense semifinals and surprising twists, PSV ultimately emerged as the winner through a decisive penalty shootout.
The final day of the 74th Otten Innovation Cup began with a penalty shootout between PSV and Red Bull Bragantino to determine who would top the standings. After many successful penalties, the 16th proved to be the decisive one. PSV won the shootout 8-7 and would face Benfica in the semifinals.
In the semifinals, an early goal was immediately decisive. Floris Bos scored with a header from a corner in the 5th minute, securing the win for PSV. Benfica increased the pressure but could not become dangerous, allowing the host PSV to reach the final of their own tournament for the 37th time.
In the other semifinal, Red Bull Bragantino faced Atlético Madrid. Goals came quickly in an entertaining first half, with both teams going into halftime at 2-2. Shortly after the restart, Sergio Esteban scored the winning goal, sending Atlético Madrid to the final in their first appearance.
The battle for 9th place saw little action for a long time. The match between RSC Anderlecht and Paris Saint-Germain only came to life in the last 7 minutes, with goals following rapidly. In the end, the Belgians claimed the 9th spot.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC ran out of steam against FC Copenhagen in the fight for 7th place. In the cross semifinals, the Koreans had lost to Manchester United in a penalty shootout, and FC Utrecht was too strong for FC Copenhagen. Jeonbuk had the first chance, but a goal just before and after halftime broke their resistance. The final score was 0-4.
FC Utrecht claimed 5th place in a penalty shootout against Manchester United. Two missed penalties led to a 3-4 victory for FC Utrecht.
The matches for the podium places took place simultaneously. Red Bull Bragantino and Benfica faced off for the bronze medal. A single goal was enough for RB Bragantino to lead at halftime. After the break, the Brazilians surged and eventually overwhelmed Benfica 5-1 to claim third place.
PSV aimed to defend their title in the grand final. The first half saw back-and-forth play without significant chances. Atlético Madrid increased the pressure during the first half, but the score remained 0-0 at halftime.
Six minutes before the end of the match, the Madrilenians took the lead. This seemed to be the decision until a well-placed cross by Sami Bouhadane was headed in by Robin van Duiven in the last minute.
The match went to penalties to decide the winner. PSV won the toss and chose to start. As shown this morning, the hosts were practiced penalty takers. The score remained tied at 4-3 until Tijn Smolenaars made a crucial save against Dani Muñoz. Joel van den Berg then had the chance to secure the victory for PSV, which he did with confidence, making the final score 5-3.
PSV became the champions of their own tournament for the 22nd time and will retain the trophy for another year.