GROUP A
The University of Rouen and the University of Zagreb played 3:3 in the third round of Group A in women’s futsal tournament at the European Universities Games Zagreb – Rijeka 2016. The Zagreb players started off the game by putting intense pressure on their opponents, which resulted in Tomislava Matijević’s goal in the eleventh minute. Soon afterwards, after Zagreb’s fast counter-attack in the thirteenth minute, Tomislava Matijević scored her second goal. With a 2:0 lead, the University of Zagreb relaxed, which the Rouen players took advantage of, reducing the difference with Tihana Nemčić’s own goal in the fourteenth minute. The second part saw better play from the University of Rouen, who managed to tie the score at 2:2 in the twenty-seventh minute with Robinne Margot’s goal.
The team from the University of Zagreb made five fouls in a row and were under threat of a ten-meter shot. In the thirty ninth minute, Zagreb made their sixth foul, which led to a penalty shot. Petra Lerotić managed to save the ten-meter shot, but the bounced ball was caught by Robinne Margot, who scored her second goal for the lead of Rouen. In the final minute of the match, the Zagreb team introduced a goalkeeper-player, and after they circled the French goal for a long time, Tomislava Matijević scored her third goal for a tie 1.37 seconds before the end. The coach of the University of Zagreb, Vlatko Brnić, said he was unsatisfied with the play of his team, because they had not put pressure on the ball, but let the University of Rouen lead the game. His comment on the dramatic finale of the game was:
‘A good game for building character, for all the things that do not wait.’
Ege University team from Turkey faced the University of Belgrade in a match that ended in a 5:5 tie. The play was firm and both teams were trying to get the ball in their possession without hesitation. However, the Belgrade team had a better start and soon turned their chances into goals, leading the 4:0 after the first half. The Turkish woke up in the second half, attacked and scored in the twenty eighth minute. Eight minutes before the end, the Belgrade team scored their fifth goal and the players relaxed, feeling confident about their advantage. The students from Ege University took advantage of the feeling of security and did the virtually impossible in only three minutes, tying the score at 5:5. At the very end of the match, the Belgrade players made their sixth foul and gave the Turkish the opportunity to score a penalty shot and make a great reversal. The pressure was great and the Turkish player missed the chance for victory, leaving the final score at 5:5.
‘I do not usually make comments on the referees, but this is a kind of tournament where you need to prove yourself, and not learn. The girls are inexperienced, and above all, we need to work on our team spirit,’ said Belgrade coach, Dušan Matić.
GROUP B
The French team from the University of Strasbourg defeated the University of Bern with 8:4. The game was very tight, there were many chances, shots at the posts and the beam from both sides and none of the teams could reach a greater score difference at the beginning. The first goal was scored by Swiss player Andrea Michael in the fourth minute. Elodie Poix tied the score for the Strasbourg team soon afterwards, in the ninth minute. The same happened when Andrea Michael scored again in the sixteenth minute, and Elodie Poix for a tie in the nineteenth minute. Laura Sauliner scored only one minute later, and the University of Strasbourg went to the break with a 3:2 lead. In the second half, the University of Bern took six minutes to pull themselves together, and Andrea Michel scored again, completing her hat trick for a tie. The Swiss started a more aggressive attack and went into the lead with Tabea Kallen’s goal in the twenty seventh minute. The Swiss lead was short-term, because the French woke up and scored five goals within only eleven minutes, bringing the game to an end. The goals were scored by Justine Rougemont in the twenty ninth minute, Laurie Saulnier in the thirty second, Julie Vandenbrouck in the thirty third. The victory was confirmed by Justine Rougemont, with her second goal, and Elodie Poix, with her third goal in the fortieth minute.
The Jagiellonian University from Krakow and the University of Würzburg played the last game in Group B. The Polish ensured their points and the first place in the group with a 3:1 victory. At the beginning of the match, the both teams started off fiercely, but the Poles managed to go into the lead in the fourteenth minute with Kataryna Ladocha’s goal. Theresa Damm tied the score one minute before the break. The second half was something completely different. The Polish team overpowered their opponents and kept them on their side of the court almost the whole time. The Poles proved their domination on the field with two goals that brought them the final result of 3:1. The both goals for the Polish victory were scored by Magdalena Knysak. Apart from the field, a competition also took part in the stands, where German supporters were louder than Polish, but that was a close contest, unlike the one on the field.
GROUP C
The match between the University of Split and the University of Minho was played in the third round of group C, and the Portuguese produced a 9:0 win.
Minho dominated the entire game, and were especially furious in the start. In the first half, the Portuguese players scored 7 goals: scorers were Ana Catarina Silva in the first minute, Ana Costa in the 6th, Carlota Marinho Pereira in the 7th, while Tanja Manduić-Bućan scored an own-goal in the 12th minute.
The fifth goal was scored by Fernanda Alves in the 14th minute and the rain of goals in the first part of the game was concluded by Isabela Pereira in the 17th and Carlota Marinho Pereira with her second goal in the 19th minute. The second part of the match was much like the first one, except that the pressure from the Portuguese team loosened, but they managed to score two more even then. The first was an own goal by Mariela Križanović in the 22nd minute while the goal for the final result was scored by Isabela Pereira in the 37th minute.
Maria Teresa Brandão Pinto said she was happy with their performance and that the final score spoke volumes about her team’s strength. As for the next match, which they will be playing against the University of Zagreb, she stated:
‘In the next match we will have to play our game and listen to the coach’s instructions in order to win.’
GROUP D
In the last match of Group D, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan played against the Moscow State University of Mechanical Engineering. The match ended in a 4:3 win for the Russians.
The Polish played some great actions, had several opportunities and generally played even better than the Russians. The team from Moscow University did not excel with the ball but they played with heart and fought for every ball, pressing forward with all they got. The player that deserves most credit for the Russian victory was the team captain, Olesya Vorobey, who scored two goals.
‘The competition was strong, the players were good and persistent and I think no one stood out. Teamwork is something we have to work on for the next match.’ said Sylwia Padiasek from the Polish team.
Results
