Fusio U17 Cup

by Doug Reed

The first day of the Fusio U17 Futsal Cup has ended and the spectators certainly cannot complain about a lack of goals with 42 recorded over the 4 games.

The first game from Group A was between the hosts from Zagreb, Fusio, against one of the two Brazilian teams, Praia Clube. Praia Clube started strongly, hitting the post in the first minute and leading 2-0 after 7 minutes. However the home club were not going to give in easily and some lethal counter attacking took them to 3-2 at half time. They extended the lead to 5-2 in the 2nd half with the Brazilians making a nervous end for the home supporters with a couple of goals in the last two minutes to make it 5-4. However the hosts managed to hold on to their 5-4 lead and win the game.

The 2nd game and the other in Group A saw Iran National University Team encounter Luparense from Italy. This proved to be a one sided affair with the Iranians leading by an impressive 8-0 at half time. The 2nd half only brought more of the same with score finishing 14-0. During the game the Iranians showed excellent technique and lethal finishing to produce the performance of the day. Whether they can maintain this tomorrow is yet to be seen.

The penultimate game of the day was a clash between Group D's CD Murcia of Spain against the other Italian team in the competition, Petrarca Padova. Both teams showed they were well organised in defence but the difference was the team from Murcia
provided a threat to their opponent's goal. Half time saw the Murcians take a generous 5-0 lead into half-time and they added a couple more in the 2nd half to finish the game as 7-0 winners.

The final game to conclude the 1st round was Minas Tenis from Brazil against the Belgiums, La Squadra Mouscron in Group D. This game was a close affair for the first 5 minutes before Minas started to dominate the scoreline. A 6-0 score at half time ended 10-2 at full-time with the Brazilians not troubled once they had opened the scoring.

So that concludes an entertaining 1st day of futsal here in Zagreb, Croatia. Tomorrow all teams will play 2 games to conclude the group stages. All games will be streamed live on Futsalplanet. If the goals continue to fly in like today it will be essential viewing for any futsal fan.