The Brazilian and Portuguese national teams have already concluded their participation in the World Cup, but it was student-athletes from these two countries who dominated the FISU World University Championships Futsal. The Polish University Team won two bronze medals, achieving significant success.
In the women’s tournament final, just like two years ago, Brazil prevailed, defeating Portugal. The high stakes of the final influenced the style of play of both teams from the outset. Both Brazil and Portugal focused primarily on good defensive organization, avoiding risky situations and leaving their opponents little room to create scoring opportunities. As a result, the gold medal match remained scoreless until halftime.
Brazil opened the scoring in the fourth minute of the second half, with Eveli Calou scoring. Brazil followed suit, extending their lead to 2:0 less than a minute later. This time, Hydren Vitoria Borges De Souza scored. However, the Portuguese refused to give up and continued to push for a goal, but they lacked effectiveness, and Sinara Vivian performed brilliantly in the Brazilian goal.
Matches of this caliber are unforgiving, and this time was no exception. After an individual error by their opponents and an own goal, Brazil was already 3:0 up. It became clear that they would once again claim the gold medal at the FISU World University Championship.
Brazil and Portugal also met in the men’s tournament final. Their match in the group stage ended in a 1:1 draw. This time, everyone was expecting a thrilling match from the very first minute. The Canarinhos started the match brightly, taking the lead with counterattacks. Toninho first scored to make it 1-0, and a few minutes later, Wellington doubled the lead to 2:0. Aquiar Lourenco scored in the ninth minute to make it 1:2. However, the scoreline was short-lived, as Brazil regained the lead after an own goal. The teams went into the break tied at 3:1.
The second half began with a goal by David Gitte on a counterattack, making the score 2:4. However, Brazil quickly scored two more goals, courtesy of Nathan Vieira Moraes da Luz, bringing the score to 6:2. It wasn’t a goal-scoring spectacle on either side, as Portugal took advantage of the pulled goalkeeper and scored to make it 6:3 thanks to Tiago Rodrigues. That wasn’t the end of the back-and-forth action and goals. At one point, the scoreboard read 7:5, but Wellington intercepted the ball in the middle of the court and passed it to Victor Hugo Gomes Oliveira, who scored from close range into the empty net, setting the score at 8:5.
– We played better than Portugal in the first half, but the second half was very tough. I’m really happy we managed to win. It’s a unique feeling to become champions, because we have so many talented players in Brazil. We’re a group that was able to play here and show our best side. It’s something incredible – said Wellington.
The Polish University Team also achieved significant success, winning two bronze medals. First, the Polish women’s team defeated Germany 2:0 in the indoor arena in Pruszków. Both teams entered the match very determined. They had their chances to score, but were unable to find the back of the net. The Polish team gradually took the initiative and built offensive plays. Midway through the first half, the home team scored a goal. Poland took the lead through Weronika Gorecka. The Polish team continued to dominate the pitch, but failed to extend their lead, and the score remained 1:0 at halftime.
In the second half, the tide of the match turned. The Germans attacked the Polish goal more boldly and pushed for a goal. However, they failed to find one, and in the 14th minute of the second half, the Polish team had another chance to score. Maja Fal increased the lead to 2:0. Despite further opportunities for both teams, the score remained unchanged. The Polish national team won the bronze medal at the World University Futsal Championships. The Polish team thus repeated their success from four years ago, when they also finished third in Guimarães, Portugal.
– When we heard the final buzzer, I got chills. We had the match under control, went into it determined, and executed our plan. I’m glad the team bounced back from our semifinal defeat. We forgot about what had happened and focused on what was to come. We achieved something incredible and showed that we can play futsal – Zuzanna Maronde admitted after the match.
In the men’s bronze medal match, the Polish and Czech national teams faced each other. The Polish national team prevailed in the group stage match, winning 2-1. This time, the match was also very even from the start, and despite several attempts from both sides, the first half ended in a 0-0 draw. The second half was inconclusive, and the game had to be decided by penalties. Ultimately, Poland won 5:4 in the penalty shootout, with Bartłomiej Twarkowski scoring the decisive goal.
– It was a difficult match, but we had a game plan that we consistently executed. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to score, but we were confident and believed we would win. We came here to win a medal. Initially, we were aiming for gold, but we’re also happy with bronze. Approaching the penalty shootout, my mind was blank, and I think the only thought I had was that I had to score – said Bartłomiej Twarkowski.
The tournament’s MVPs were Pedro Marques Faustino of Portugal and Victorii Borges de Souza of Brazil. The top scorers were Alexis Dubois of France, who scored eight goals, and Margarida Carvalho of Portugal, who netted 11 goals. João Koji Viktor Lamber of Brazil and his teammate Vivian Sinare were named the tournament’s best goalkeepers. The Fair Play Awards were presented to the Lithuanian men’s team and the Finnish women’s team. A total of 10 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams from 18 countries took part in the tournament.
A few minutes after the final match, the closing ceremony took place. Costa Rica took over the FISU flag—the symbol of the organizers of the next competition. The championships have officially come to an end, but they will long remain in the memories of the participants.
8 Jul
