Principado de Asturias Amateur team guide
Thursday, June 12, 2003
Article summary
The Spaniards were the final team to take their place at the 2003 UEFA Regions' Cup finals.
Article body
Country: Spain
How they reached the finals:
The final team to take their place at the 2003 UEFA Regions' Cup finals, Spain's Principado de Asturias Amateur had to negotiate their way through the intermediary round as well as qualifying Group 2.
Bright start
They made the brightest possible start in their qualifying games in Belgium with a 7-0 demolition of luckless Andorra Amateur in Overpelt. It was 3-0 by half-time as Rafael Iglesias Salas, Pablo López Santos and Moisés Vázquez García all opened their goalscoring accounts.
Up and running
Luis Arturo Ruiz-Casillas made it 4-0 after 53 minutes, Vázquez García scored a second after 78 minutes and, as the clock ticked down, both Marcos Villar Alonso and Arturo Suárez González got their names on the scoresheet. Miguel Angel Sánchez Baragaño's side were up and running.
First goal
Belgium's Ligue Nord Amateur proved much more resilient competition on 16 November, but another name joined the six already to have scored goals for Asturias as Alberto José Martínez Morán scored what proved to be the only goal of the game after 55 minutes. Ligue Nord's Robby Op De Locht was shown the red card a minute from time.
More scorers
The goalscoring habits returned for Asturias' final group game against South-East Amateur of Finland. Vázquez García scored his third goal of the qualifiers after eight minutes and Suárez González got his second of the tournament after 25 minutes to give the Spanish side a 2-0 lead at half-time.
Fifth strike
Rubén Fernández Rodríguez then became the eighth Asturias goalscorer of the tournament, scoring his side's third goal. Vázquez García scored again in the 74th minute and, in added time, Martínez Morán also found the target to make it 5-0.
Play-off joy
Victory earned Asturias an intermediary round play-off against the Czech Republic's Central Bohemia Amateur. A 1-0 win in the first leg in Horovice courtesy of Herminio Álvarez Sánchez's first goal of the campaign set Asturias up for the decisive 1-0 win at the Miramar stadium - thanks to another Martínez Morán goal - which gave them a place in the finals.
Goalscoring credentials
Asturias have certainly got to Germany the long way, but with goals seemingly coming from everywhere in an attack-minded side, Sánchez Baragaño's men could be serious contenders for the trophy.
Top scorers:
Moisés Vázquez García (4)
Alberto José Martínez Morán (3)
Arturo Suárez González (2)
