The first day of the World University Futsal Championships ended with victories for the favourites. No one can complain about a lack of goals, as as many as 70 were scored right at the start of the tournament.
Men’s tournament
GROUP A Poland – Cyprus 5:2 Czech Republic – Costa Rica 5:1
The first match of a tournament is always important, and in this case, the Polish University National Team can say they passed the test. Coach Piotr Wysoczański’s side did not avoid mistakes, but they beat Cyprus 5:2. The goals for Poland were scored by Oskar Szczepański, two by Grzegorz Haraburda, Kacper Pawlus and Kacper Korytny. Meanwhile, in the second Group A match, the Czech Republic were level with Costa Rica at 1–1 for a long time. Ultimately, however, the Czechs stepped up a gear and won 5–1.
GROUP B Portugal – Finland 2–0 Brazil – Israel 10–0
One of the favourites for the men’s tournament, Portugal, defeated Finland 2:0 after a hard-fought match in Group B. All the goals were scored in the first twenty minutes of the match. In the second half, the Finns created several dangerous chances but were unable to capitalise on them. Portugal secured three valuable points after a tough match. The team were spurred on to victory by the loud cheering of young players from the local club Znicz Pruszków, who were visiting the ground during their summer holidays. The stands were also filled with the parents of the Portuguese players.
– We feel confident, but the match was tough because the Finnish team played very physically. We tried to move around a lot without the ball and look for open spaces. I think that made the difference and secured the win. We don’t see ourselves as favourites. We want to win every single match. If we win all our matches, then we’ll win the title, but every small step leads to that. My family have flown to Poland to cheer us on. It’s wonderful that they’re here with me and supporting us so loudly,” said David Gita, a player for the Portuguese team.
There were far more goals to be seen in another Group B match between Brazil and Israel, in which the reigning World Cup runners-up won 10–0. It was a very intense match, full of brilliant individual moments, particularly from the Brazilian players. Brazil controlled the game from the very start and did not allow Israel to pose any serious threat to their own goal.
GROUP C France – USA 13:1 Georgia – Lebanon 2:1
France are the favourites to top Group C after thrashing the USA 13–1. The French started the match in fine form, scoring a goal in the very first minute. Although the American goalkeeper, Rubin Wasserman, produced several superb saves, he was unable to stem the tide of his opponents’ attacks. A much more closely fought match in the same group was the Lebanon v Georgia fixture, which ended 2:1. The Lebanese were leading 1:0 at half-time. Although Georgia equalised in the second half, the Lebanese players had the final say.
– think it was a very good first match, and we were playing against France, who, in my opinion, are the best team in the world. We’re a group of young people who didn’t know each other before; we finally managed to get together, had one training session, and for the first ten or fifteen minutes we worked together quite well. I think we had a good chance of keeping the score level, but we got tired during the match, which meant our play slackened off a bit – said USA goalkeeper Rubin Wasserman.
GROUP D Saudi Arabia– Lithuania 4:2 New Zealand – Slovakia 1:4
In Group D, no one could complain about a lack of goals. At the OSIR Bemowo sports hall, Saudi Arabia beat Lithuania 4:2, whilst New Zealand defeated Slovakia. In the latter match, the score was 1:1 after just two minutes, but the Slovaks went into the break one goal ahead. In the second half, the Slovakian students only stepped up the pace, scoring further goals to eventually win 4:1.
Women’s Tournament
GROUP A Poland – Portugal 1:2 Chinese Taipei – Costa Rica 3:2
In the women’s tournament, the Polish University Women’s Team lost 1:2 to Portugal after a hard-fought match. The consolation goal for the white-and-reds was scored by Dobrosława Skorupska, a student at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. However, this was not enough to make up for the two-goal deficit from the first half. The tournament hosts must now pick up points in their remaining matches to fight for a place in the top two and a spot in the semi-finals.
In another match in this group, Chinese Taipei had the upper hand from the start, but it was the Costa Ricans who scored first. Towards the end of the first half, the Chinese Taipei players first equalised and, moments later, took a 2:1 lead. They also started the second half very dynamically, although their opponents had no intention of giving up. With three and a half minutes remaining, Chinese Taipei extended their lead to 3–1. Costa Rica responded quickly with a goal to close the gap and fought for a draw until the very last seconds, but to no avail. Ultimately, Chinese Taipei won 3:2.
Group B Brazil – Germany 4:2 Lebanon – Finland 2:1
The six-time university world champions have made a successful start to their bid for a seventh title. The Brazilians were already leading 3:2 at half-time, and in the second half they sealed their victory over the Germans by scoring another goal, confidently securing their first win of the tournament.
The first half belonged to the Lebanese side, who went into the break leading 2–0. After the break, the match picked up pace. The Finns scored a consolation goal and set about trying to make up the deficit. The Finnish team attacked with increasing boldness, but the ball simply would not find the back of the net. The Lebanese defended effectively and created dangerous chances of their own. Ultimately, the match ended in a 2–1 victory for Lebanon.
The event is organised by the University Sports Association of Warsaw and the University Sports Association of Warsaw FISU is a co-organiser. The main partners of the championships are: the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the Capital City of Warsaw, the Mazovia Province Local Government and the Bemowo District Office.
Partners include: Totalizator Sportowy, the Toyota W&J Wiśniewski dealership, Arche Hotels, Dawtona Polska and Warsaw Suburban Railways
Sports partners: the Polish Football Association, the Polish Handball Association, the Pruszków Centre for Culture and Sport, OSIR Bemowo and OSiR Włochy
Honorary patronage of the event has been granted by: the Mayor of the Capital City of Warsaw – Mr Rafał Trzaskowski; the Marshal of the Mazovia Province – Mr Adam Struzik; the Minister of Sport and Tourism – Mr Jakub Rutnicki; the Minister for Science and Higher Education – Mr Marcin Kulasek, the Minister of National Defence – Mr Władysław Kosiniak Kamysz, and the Pruszków County Administrator – Mr Adrian Ejssymont.
6 Jul
