We know which eight men’s teams have a chance to compete for medals. We also know which teams will be playing for the remaining spots. The women’s tournament is entering its decisive phase.
Group C – men France – Lebanon 1:1 USA – Georgia 0:7
The final group stage matches of the men’s tournament were anything but dull. The match between France and Lebanon was tense from the start, with first place in the group on the line. France held the advantage for most of the game, but Lebanon played well defensively, blocking long-range shots. Lebanon’s goalkeeper came close to scoring the first goal, hitting the crossbar! Four minutes before the end of the first half, Alexis Dubois opened the scoring for France with a penalty kick. In the second half, the Lebanese futsal team equalized. The match ended with that score, and both teams advanced to the quarterfinals. In another Group C match, Georgia defeated the U.S. 7–0. “It was a tough match because Lebanon played close to their goal and there wasn’t much space to attack. Objectively speaking, we’re happy with this result. For now, we’ve focused on ourselves, and only now will we start thinking about who we’ll face in the next round,” said Leo Faytre, captain of the French team.
Group B – men Portugal – Israel 21:0 Finland – Brazil 1:2
In the next match, played at the Bemowo arena, Brazil faced Finland. The Scandinavian team had to win if it wanted to have any chance of advancing to the quarterfinals. In the end, however, the reigning university world vice-champions prevailed 2:1 after a hard-fought match. Meanwhile, in Pruszków, the Portuguese national team had to score several goals against Israel if it wanted to finish first in Group B and avoid facing France in the quarterfinals. The six goals scored in the first half weren’t enough for Portugal—they added another fifteen in the second. The match ultimately ended with a score of 21:0.
Group A – men
Costa Rica – Poland 0:6 Czech Republic – Cyprus 2:1
In Pruszków, the Polish National University Team, already assured of a spot in the next round, faced Costa Rica. The white-and-red team made a few changes to the lineup, but it was still enough for a 6:0 victory. Oskar Szczepański and Jakub Kozłowski each scored two goals for the tournament hosts, while Kacper Korytny and Jakub Sławkowski added one goal each. Poland now has a day off before its quarterfinal match against Saudi Arabia. In the other Group A match, the Czech Republic defeated Cyprus 2:1.
Group D – men Slovakia – Saudi Arabia 3:2 New Zealand – Lithuania 1:3
In Group D, Slovakia secured its third victory of the tournament by defeating Saudi Arabia 3:2. All the goals were scored in the second half. New Zealand, meanwhile, lost to Lithuania 1:3. For the Lithuanian university team, this was their first win of the tournament. The players now have a day off, and on Sunday, the quarterfinal matches and the placement matches will be played.
GROUP A – women Costa Rica – Poland Chinese Taipei – USA
The women’s group stage has reached the halfway point. The Polish women secured their second victory at the World University Futsal Championship. Following Thursday’s win over the U.S., they this time proved better than the Costa Rican team. The match remained scoreless for a long time, and fans had to wait until late in the second half for the first goal. In the 33rd minute, following the Costa Ricans’ sixth foul, Julita Wietrzykowska opened the scoring on an extended penalty kick. Three minutes later, Natalia Matuszewska made it 2–0. After a goal by Maria Suwada, the score was 3–0. In the closing minutes of the match, Costa Rica scored a consolation goal. “It was a really tough game. Our team didn’t play its best in the first half, but the second half went a bit better. I think scoring the first goal was very important for us, and then we started playing the way we wanted to. We’re now focusing on tomorrow’s match. We’ll be playing Chinese Taipei, and for now we have some time to rest and prepare for the next game,” said Polish national team player Zuzanna Maronde after the match.
GROUP B
Finland 1:5 France Lebanon 1:5 Brazil
After a thrilling match, the French women defeated Finland 5:1. Both teams had lost their opening matches, so they were eager to earn three points. The Finns got off to a great start with a goal by Jennyfer Myllykoski in the 14th minute. That goal woke up the “Tricolors,” who responded immediately with a goal by Pellegryfaustine to tie the score at 1:1. The French came out strong in the second half and controlled the flow of the game. Eulalie Bridonneau put on a real show, scoring a hat trick. “We’re fighters, so we battle until the very end even if we concede the first goal. We need to remember this match and learn from it,” said Winsaice Belvu, goalkeeper for the French national team.
The Brazilian women continued their winning streak by defeating Lebanon 5:1. The scoring began in the very first minute, when Emily Sofia scored the opening goal for Brazil. The Lebanese women tried to fight back, responding in the 4th minute with a goal that tied the game. The Canarinhos remained composed and continued to play with short, precise passes. Three minutes into the second half, the referee awarded a penalty kick after a foul on Brazil’s India, who converted it herself. Paixao sealed the 5:1 victory with her second goal of the match. “I think our team is very close-knit; we feel relaxed, and things are going well. We all really want this title. We’re a group of girls who know each other from Brazil, from the national league. I think this is the best group we could have chosen. We’re very happy to be here together and share this locker room,” said Sofia Emylli De Figueredo Cabrera.
8 Jul
