The impressions from the EURO final are still fresh, and Portugal has already won a new title. The players from the University of Minho are the football champions of the European Universities Games Zagreb – Rijeka 2016, defeating the players from the University of Bochum with 2:1. The full stands of FC Lučko were in for a real football treat. The University of Bochum dominated in the first half and the ball was mostly in their possession, and in the 29th minute Mathien Bengsch stole the ball after a stunning defense reaction, punishing the Portuguese. The conceded goal angered the players from the University of Minho, and they became more aggressive on the field, creating good opportunities. After a few well played actions by the Portuguese, Pedro Oliveira passed the entire German defense and tied the score in the 34th minute.
The second goal was a long time coming, considering both teams played equally well during the second half and there were not many serious opportunities. Perhaps the deciding moment of the games was Sebastian Lotters’ red card. After their player had been sent off, the Bochum team could not handle the rhythm of the game, and Joan Araujo scored in the 85th minute for a final 2:1.
It is interesting to note that the first three teams were also medalists last year at the European Universities Championship in Osijek. The University of Minho won the bronze medal then, and the University of Bochum defeated the Kuban State University in the final. Adam Frytz, Bochum’s coach, commented shortly:
‘I would like to congratulate Minho on their medal, they were better today.’
Kuban State University beat the University of Osijek with 3:0 in the third place playoff. It was not the playful Osijek who had played against Zagreb, or even Minho in the semifinal. After the previous difficult games, and the defeat in the semifinal after penalties, the players from Osijek did not have the strength and idea how to defeat Kuban. The Russian university was one of this year’s potential medalists after last year’s silver medal, and the only defeat they suffered was against the finalists Bochum. The scorers for the Russian team were Viet Han Ngoc at the very beginning, Maxim Malysh in the 59th minute, after a misunderstanding between a defense player and the goalkeeper from Osijek, and Dmitry Prokopenko two minutes later.
The captain of Osijek, Matej Ljubas, commented on the game and the tournament.
‘We were very surprised by this system of competition where yellow cards are not erased in the semifinal and final, and it was a problem. Along with all the injuries we have, I was also not able to play today because of a yellow card, and in the end what decided the game was not only the quality of the Russians, but also their longer bench. I would like to congratulate them, and also add that we are extremely happy with our fourth place because it is our biggest success so far, and we have set the bar high for future young players,’ Ljubas said briefly.
Apart from the medals awarded to the first three teams, individual prizes were also given. The best scorer is Alvaro Craz Largo from the University of Almeria. The best player is Alberto Alburquerqul from Camilo Jose Cela University. The goalkeeper from Bochum, Jonas Ermes, was voted the best goalkeeper. Erasmus University from the Netherland was awarded the fair play award.
Results
