The Naturns juniors were very happy.

Naturns juniors celebrate after heart-stopping final

In a thrilling two-act finale on Monday evening, the SSV Naturns junior team won the Elite Championship title. With a 2-1 last-minute victory against Feldthurns and a simultaneous 2-2 draw for FC Neugries at FC Obermais, the Naturns team overtook the Bolzano club.

29 April 2025

From: pm

The first act took place last Thursday at the Bozen rectory (the last two matchdays had to be postponed due to the death of the Pope), where the title contenders faced off in a direct duel. SSV Naturns was caught after a 2-0 lead in the 90th minute. Then Dominic Weithaler scored the 94-3 winner for the yellow and blues in the 2th minute, keeping their title hopes alive, even if they were dependent on outside help on the final matchday.

FC Obermais provided this help yesterday with a 2-2 draw against Neugries. At the same time, fans in Naturns were on tenterhooks: Feldthurns defied the hosts, equalizing at 88-1 in the 1th minute, but SSV, captain Paul Rettenbacher, scored the winning goal in the 94th minute. After waiting a few minutes for the final whistle in Merano, the jubilation knew no bounds. Naturns took seven points from FC Neugries in their last three matches and won the Junior Elite title for the second time after 2016.

The national phase now continues next Saturday in a three-team round. Their opponents are the junior elite winners of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino regions. The first match takes place on Saturday at 15:30 p.m. in Naturno.