In the men’s tournament, Poland, Slovakia, France, and Lebanon, and in the women’s tournament, Portugal and Brazil, won all of their matches after two rounds of the group stage of the FISU World University Championship Futsal.
Group B – Men Portugal – Brazil 1:1 Finland – Israel 12:0
The highlight of the second day of the World University Futsal Championship was undoubtedly the match between Brazil and Portugal. Seven minutes into the game, Kelven Garcia Rossin scored the opening goal for Brazil, breaking through on the left side of the field. The match was fast-paced, with plenty of action from both sides. Pedro Marques equalized for Portugal in the 14th minute of the first half. The Portuguese pressed on and created another dangerous chance shortly after. Just before halftime, Brazil had a chance to score a surprise goal. Portugal had a chance to take the lead five minutes before the end of the match, but the Canarinhos goalkeeper made a save from close range. Neither team could land the decisive blow, and the match ended in a draw.
– Yes, this could be the final, but we still have many important matches and strong teams ahead of us. It was a very good and hard-fought match. It was the kind of game where anyone could have come out on top today, and it all came down to the details. I used to play in Portugal myself, and I know how well they can play futsal. We don’t feel any pressure, nor do we feel like the top favorites, because Brazilian futsal used to be on a different level, but now everything is evening out. Many countries have improved, and there isn’t such a big gap in skill levels anymore,” said Welinton Oliveira, a player on the Brazilian national team.
Finland earned its first victory of the tournament by defeating Israel 12:0.
Group A – Men Poland – Czech Republic 2:1 Cyprus – Costa Rica 2:1
The Polish University National Team also secured its second win of the tournament, defeating the Czech Republic 2:1. The victory did not come easily, as the Czechs were leading by one goal at halftime. After the break, however, Grzegorz Haraburda and Jakub Kozłowski scored, securing the win for Poland. The second match in Group A between Cyprus and Costa Rica ended with the same score.
Group C – Men France – Georgia 8:0 Lebanon – USA 5:1
France secured its second victory of the tournament, this time confidently defeating Georgia 8:0. In Pruszkow, most of the goals were scored before halftime. Lebanon also recorded its second win of the tournament, as its university team defeated the U.S. 5:1. On Friday, France and Lebanon will face off in the match for first place in this group. The second-place team from this group will face the winner of Group B in the quarterfinals.
Group D – Men Lithuania – Slovakia 0–3 Saudi Arabia – New Zealand 1–1
The Slovakia also recorded their second win of the group stage, this time defeating Lithuania 3:0. The match was very evenly matched, and the first half ended with Slovakia leading 1:0. The match between Saudi Arabia and New Zealand ended in a draw, with all the goals scored in the first half.
Group A – Women’s Tournament
USA – Poland 1:6 Portugal – Costa Rica 8:1
The Polish University Futsal Team secured its first victory in the women’s tournament. Anna Chóras scored two goals for the hosts, while Dobrowsława Skorupska, Maria Suwada, Natalia Majewska, and Julita Wietrzykowska each added one. Emely Rubio-Garcia scored a consolation goal for the U.S. in the 8th minute of the match.
The Portuguese, on the other hand, set a fast pace from the opening minutes and clearly dominated the court. The Costa Ricans defended effectively for the first five minutes, but Portugal then took a 1:0 lead. In the seventh minute, they extended their lead to 2:0. The Portuguese continued to attack, but it was the Costa Rican team that managed to score a goal to narrow the gap to 2:1. After that, only the favorites found the back of the net. At halftime, Portugal led 4:1. Less than half a minute into the second half, Portugal was already leading 5:1. They continued their scoring spree and ultimately won 8:1.
Group B – Women’s Tournament
France – Brazil 0:6 Germany – Lebanon 4:1
The Brazilian women confidently defeated the French national team 6:0. They opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and just a few dozen seconds later were already leading 2:0. Before halftime, the Brazilians scored three more goals and headed into the locker room with a commanding lead. In the second half, they controlled the game, added another goal, and secured a convincing victory over the French.
In the second Group B match, the German national team secured its first victory at the Women’s Futsal World University Championship by defeating Lebanon 4:1. The Germans were already leading 2:0 at halftime and controlled the flow of the game. After the break, the Lebanese team fought ambitiously to score a consolation goal and ultimately succeeded. Moments later, the ball found the back of the German net again, but the goal was disallowed due to a handball. With five minutes remaining in the match, the Germans extended their lead to 3:1, and less than a minute later scored another goal, setting the final score at 4:1 and dashing their opponents’ hopes of mounting a comeback.
8 Jul
