On the second day of competitions at the European Universities Games, women’s football teams took the field for the first time. The girls from the University of Lausanne and the University of Frankfurt grasped the win against their opponents, while other matches ended in draws.
GROUP A
The University of Innsbruck, Austria, and the University of Marburg from Germany played the first match of Group A at Zagrebello Stadium, which ended in a 1:1 draw.
There were many good attempts from both teams in the first half, but the first goal of the day was scored by the captain of Marburg Greta Budde, in the 25th minute of the game. Her team kept the lead for the next twenty-five minutes, untill Inssbruck equalized with a goal by Julia Winkler, and the score remained unchanged until the end.
According to Innsbruck captain, Vera Gerbert, the match was very tense, with two surprising goals. She had only words of praise for the opposing team: ‘It was fun to play against such as strong team, playing at their level.’
Budde was satisfied with the end score: ‘Today is the first day of the competition and we had to adapt to everything. Under these conditions, this was a good start for us, our main goal was not to lose and we made it.’
When asked about tomorrow’s game, she promised: ‘We will win’
GROUP B
In the first match of the day, the visibly relaxed Norwegians managed to disrupt the concertation of the well-synchronized Germans; the Norwegian team captain Emilie Finnevolden scored the opening goal. The German girls equalized soon after and even managed to turn the score. Their opponents didn’t find the strength to come back and the game finished 4-1 in favor of the Frankfurt players.
The girls have shown how important is team communication, in addition to all field skills. Both coaches and substitutes supported their teams fiercely.
The coach of the German team Nicolai Kӧnig said he wouldn’t celebrate yet, as his team needed to prepare for the next games; they would focus on scoring as many goals as possible. The captain of the team, Nadine Anstatt, also put a lot of effort into team tactics and was especially proud of her team’s performance.
The team of the University of Valencia watched the game, trying to identify their future opponents’ weak spots. They’ll be able to exploit these tomorrow against the Norwegians and against the Germans the day after.
GROUP C
The Swiss University of Lausanne won against the Dutch Erasmus University Rotterdam with 7:1! The winner could be predicted after the first 25 minutes, since Lausanne had a 5:1 lead, safely bringing the match to an end.
‘The first five minutes were good for both teams. We were on the same level, but then their stability prevailed. They were attacking, and we did not have a good defence, and that was the greatest difference. They were running all the time, while we were standing. I hope we will be better tomorrow,’ said coach Marc Andriessen after the defeat.
The only goal for Erasmus University Rotterdam was scored by Joanne Braber. As for the winning team from the University of Lausanne, Dilan Fmrak and Virginie Clivaz scored two goals each.
“We were a bit nervous at the beginning. We did not know what the other team would be like. Everything was easier when we scored the first goal. We made some good passes and it ended in a great result,” one player from the University of Lausanne said.
GROUP D
The Ural Federal University and the University of Caen played a very tense match in which both teams had good attempts and a chance to win. Unfortunately, the goalkeepers gave solid performances as well, and the match ended in a draw.
In the first half, the score was 0:0, but the Russians took the lead when Tatiana Mukhina scored in the 27th minute. After Manon Rybae from the French team scored a goal, the score was tied. The result remained 1:1 until the end of the match.
French team coach Christian Hestin commented: “We are happy with the result, but we will try to win the match in two days. We are also happy to be here, everything is well organized.”
Although it was hot, that didn’t prevent the team from the Russian university to fight vigorously until the very end.
Despite the high temperatures, the Russian students fought valiantly until the very end. Their coach Igor Navikov told the game was not easy for them due to strong sun and high temperatures.
