The team from the University of Marburg takes home the bronze
The French team from the University of Montpellier won the women’s football 7 tournament at the European Universities Games Zagreb – Rijeka 2016 against the University of Valencia, while the footballers from the University of Marburg took the bronze.
This afternoon, the Russian Ural Federal University and the German University of Marburg fought for third place.
The German University won the game 2:1 and came up third, mostly thanks to the goals from Lena Therre in the 16th minute and Greta Budde in the 19th minute.
Marburg was clearly dominant in the first half time and finished with a 2:0 lead.
As a response, the Russian coach made two substitutions in the beginning of the second half. This was clearly the right move as the Russians seemingly woke up and played a lot more aggressive, taking control of the game. They attacked constantly, but failed to turn their chances into goals.
After missing several opportunities, Daria Alieva finally scored for Ural Federal University in the 36th minute, bringing hope to the Russian team.
Even though the Russian players tried hard to equalize, the team from the University of Marburg was able to resist the pressure.
‘We got better and better during the competition, so our university deserved the bronze medal. For sure, we will keep great memories of the tournament.’
‘By the way, we would especially like to thank the volunteers who made this competition come to life,’ said both of the German coaches Fabian Dirks and Konstantin Burman, visibly satisfied.
Plenty of goals as a memorable ending for the women’s football seven competition
There were plenty of fans at the stands, who supported both teams and created a cheerful atmosphere.
Nevertheless, the match was one-sided. The French team scored four goals in the first half time thanks to a hattrick by Valerie Gauvin and a goal by team captain Morgane Courteille afterwards.
Although France kept attacking in the second half of the game, the Spanish players managed to mount a proper defense in front of their goal.
The score remained unchanged until the end and the University of Montpellier won the football competition at the European Universities Games 2016.
‘I am very proud of my girls, because we achieved our objective. Now, it is time to celebrate,’ admitted proudly the French coach.
After the end of the game and the tournament, an award ceremony took place at Zagrebello Stadium. The placed teams received their medals and several players were awarded additional trophies:
The top scorer of the tournament award was given to Valerie Gauvin from the University of Montpellier and the title of the best goal keeper was awarded to Noemie Cubey also from the University of Montpellier. Greta Budde from the University of Maburg was named the most valuable player and the fair play award was given to the University of Caen.
