Villarreal B visit RFEF Cup Champions Atletico Saguntino

Villarreal’s B team has been hovering on the edge of the playoff picture almost all season, and they find themselves two points behind Badalona, and four behind Valencia Mestalla, with six matches remaining.

We are on the road on Sunday, playing in Sagunt against Atletico Saguntino. Sagunt, in case you don’t know, is a town on the railway line between Valencia and Vila-real (you see the castle on the hill for several miles off as you approach it). It’s famous as the place where Hannibal (yes, that one, with the elephants and all) began the Second Punic War with a siege of Sagunt, which was supporting Rome against Carthage. Didn’t work so well—all the Sagunt men were apparently put to death when the siege finally succeeded.

Anyhow, fast forward from 219 BC to 2017AD, and Sagunt’s football club, Atletico Saguntino, has JUST made history as the first Valencian Community side to win the RFEF Cup (the Copa Federación, or Federation Cup), defeating Fuenlebrada 3-0 on Wednesday after drawing 0-0 away.

One hopes they will be a little hung over after the victory. They do have ex-Castellón defender Marc Trilles, and ex-Villarreal B/C attacker Carlos Esteve, but currently lie mid-table in what is their first season in the Segunda B—they were promoted after winning a penalty shootout last year.

Villarreal are AT THE GATES! Vamos mini-submarino!