Spain’s Double Weekend Shakes the Liga IATI: Terrassa Lose Their Perfect Record, Polo Hit Thirteen Without Reply
CD Terrassa went into last weekend with five wins from five. They came out of it still top of the Liga IATI, but the perfect record is gone, and the chasing pack is right on them.
The double jornada, rounds six and seven played on 24 and 25 October, compressed the title race in one weekend. Terrassa took one point from two games. On Saturday, Junior held them to a 0-0 draw at Les Pedritxes. On Sunday, in the Terrassa derby, Atlètic Terrassa won 4-3 at Can Salas and handed the leaders their first defeat of the season. Terrassa stay first, but only just.
RC Polo took full advantage. The Barcelona side won both home games without conceding a goal: 5-0 against CH Carpesa on Saturday, 8-0 against Taburiente on Sunday. Thirteen goals for, none against. Polo now have 15 points from six games, one behind Terrassa, with a game in hand. Their postponed visit to Junior, set for 12 November after Polo’s Euro Hockey League involvement, is already looking like a big one.
Junior, meanwhile, are the only unbeaten side left in the league. After the draw at Terrassa on Saturday, they beat Club Egara 3-2 on Sunday in Sant Cugat. That takes them to 14 points from six games, four wins and two draws, two behind Terrassa with a game in hand. Junior keep finding ways not to lose. That is a title-winning habit, even this early.
Club de Campo also took maximum points and climbed to fourth. They beat RS Tenis 3-2 on Saturday, then put ten past Sardinero on Sunday, the biggest win of the double weekend. They are the league’s top scorers, which is no surprise to anyone who has watched them this season.
Sanse Complutense also won both games, opening with a 6-2 win over Sardinero and closing with a 1-0 win over RS Tenis. RS Tenis, who had led the league earlier in the season, went home from their double trip to Madrid without a point, after two defeats by a single goal, and sit fifth, just ahead of Complutense.
Atlètic and Egara split their weekends. Egara won the Can Salas derby 2-1 on Saturday, then lost 3-2 at Junior on Sunday. Atlètic answered Saturday’s defeat with Sunday’s derby win over the leaders. At the bottom, Barcelona took four points at Pau Negre, beating Taburiente 1-0 and drawing 2-2 with Carpesa, and both clubs sit on seven points, Barcelona with a game in hand. Taburiente have one point and Sardinero none after losing both of their games.
Terrassa are still top. But the gap is one point, Polo and Junior both have a game in hand, and the derby defeat will have hurt. The next round can’t come soon enough.
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