Aragón beat Dolnośląski late in extra time to win UEFA Regions' Cup final

Aragón became the fourth different Spanish team to win the UEFA Regions' Cup as substitute Daniel Torcal scored deep in extra time to deny Poland's Dolnośląski Region a record third title.

Match in brief: Torcal leaves it late

Aragón named the same XI that beat San Marino and Länsi-Vantaan Ylpeys to book their final place while Dolnośląski, having gone through with a game to spare and been able to rotate on Matchday 3, kept only three starters from Saturday's match. It was the Spanish side, always set up to attack, who had most of the early play without creating real openings.

However Dolnośląski, usually on the counter, were proving a threat and in the 36th minute Jakub Jablonski cut in from the right, advanced, and sent in a strike from distance that rattled the crossbar. The pattern of the game remained after the break but Aragón started to fashion opportunities as Daniel Ciriano slipped César San Agustín clear but Marcin Gąsiorowski saved and, from the resulting corner, Héctor Espierrez headed just wide.

Dolnośląski soaked up the pressure and produced a fantastic passing move, only for Jakub Bohdanowicz's effort to be blocked by the sliding Espierrez. At the other end Chegu made a dangerous run and forced Gąsiorowski to save.

Daniel Torcal celebrates his winnerUEFA via Getty Images

Tomasz Wronski came off the bench and let fly, only for Mateo Lite to tip his attempt over. Torcal rose to meet Victor Charlez's cross but the header was kept out superbly by Gąsiorowski. Wronski was close again as the game entered added time, his looping shot from distance met at full stretch by Lite, who then saved Adrian Niewiadomsk's header after the resulting corner.

Aragón seemed to have had the best chance in extra time as César dinked the ball over Gąsiorowski but Pawel Niemienionek got to the ball before the striker could put it into an empty net. But as a shoot-out loomed, Torcal pounced on a loose ball in the box and smashed in to spark wild celebrations.

Reaction 

Daniel Torcal, Aragón goalscorer: "I am so full of pride, there are no words for what I am feeling. This is for the whole region of Aragon. There is no more epic way to win than this. Several of us had chances but finally I was the lucky one that had the chance that went in."

Karol Losin, Aragón captain: "I can’t really process what has happened, I only have goosebumps. Most of my team-mates are rivals in the league. Playing alongside each other, so close, develops a bond that is close to friendship, and now it is more – it is brotherhood!"

One, late, goal was all it took for AragónUEFA via Getty Images

Richi Civera, Aragón coach: "It is pure joy, pure happiness. Remembering the long trip we had to go through. Twp years of playing, developing this team, and building it up to what has happened today."

"Torcal is a very quick player, very skillful, he can play in the inside line. He has a reputation in the Spanish league. Coming from the bench he offers a lot, when the opposition is tired, that is his moment to be dangerous."

Paweł Niemienionek, Dolnośląski captain: "It is tough. We were really close, we let in a goal in the last seconds of extra time so it hurts. But I think we if look at this tournament we can be proud of our achievement.

"Amateur football in Lower Silesia is at a really high level. We could well be in the final of the next edition, I think we will be in the final tournament and I hope we will lift the trophy in two years."

Key stats

• Aragón are the fourth different champions from Spain after Basque Country in 2005, Castilla y León in 2009 and Galicia in 2023. They were also a record sixth finalist and eighth medallist from Spain.
• Spain now lead Italy four titles to three. Never before had one nation provided two consecutive champions.
• Dolnośląski were the first distinct region to reach three finals but were unable to claim an unprecedented third title (Veneto of Italy, the only other multiple champion, won in 1999 and 2013).
• Adam Bońkowski, Adrian Niewiadomski, Jakub Bohdanowicz and Pawel Niemienionek previously played for Dolnośląski in their 2019 final win against Bavaria.
• Aragón equalled the record of fewest final tournament goals conceded while winning the competition (1, Veneto in 2013 and Eastern Region in 2015). Aragón, like Veneto in the 2013 edition, also kept three qualifying clean sheets.

Line-ups

Aragón: Lite; Pinto (Ferruz 91), Karol Losin, Espiérrez, Rober; Muñoz, Casero (Cristian Rubio 116), Ciriano (Torcal 70); Chegu, César, Charlez

Dolnośląski: Gąsiorowski; Bienkowski (Wronski 70), Jablonski (Ratajski 118), Łazarowicz, Niemienionek; Maciejewski, Wasilewski (Bąk 86), Bohdanowicz (Franczak 86); Wawrzyniak, Bońkowski (Marcjan 57), Olek (Niewiadomski 57)

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Serbia's Vojvodina and Croatia's Rijeka shared bronze medals, as group runners-up.