Umag Nations Cup reaching final stages, teams are delighted
The international futsal tournament Umag Nations Cup 2021, organised by the sports agency B4Sport, is slowly reaching the finish. The national teams have already played six matches in Istria, the competitive part of the tournament will end with Tuesday's match between the young French national team and the A team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On the third day of the competition, the young national teams of France and Slovakia and the futsal teams of Slovaks and of Bosnia and Herzegovina played at the Umag Nations Cup. The French recorded a hard-earned victory withthe final score 5: 4, and the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina also had to make a fair effort to win in the second half. The Slovak delegations left Istria with their heads held high after the matches, and the Umag Nations Cup 2021 will end with a showdown between the remaining teams (France U21: Bosnia and Herzegovina) live on the B4Sport Camps Facebook page.
Monday, September 27:
France U21 : Slovakia U21 5:4 (2:2)
Scorers: 1:0 Melaine (5'), 1:1 Kuruc (15'), 2:1 Galmin (16'), 2:2 Marton (19'), 2:3 Jančula (34'), 3:3 Bencherif (35'), 4:3 Pereira Basilio (35'), 4:4 Marton (36'), 5:4 Traore (37').
France U21: Carron, Delbergue, Bencherif, Melaine, Betgha, Pasquier, Pereira Basilio., Si Chaib, Mokwaka, Jallouli, Traore, Marrakachi, Galmin, Reynaud, Kone, Doualla.
Slovakia U21: Kollar, Podhajeczky, Kuruc, Bačo, Keszi, Medon, Marik M., Marik R., Keszei, Haramia, Ftorek, Jančula, Laco, Jakubik.
After a heavy defeat against Slovenia, the Slovak national team showed a different face against the French and severely tormented the team in a dark blue sports outfit. The French footballers scored first through Melaine in the fifth minute. After Kuruc equalized, Salah Galmin put the Gallic roosters in the lead again, but Marton equalized the result before half time.
At the beginning of the second half, we first experienced a a goal-drought, but they returned again in the 34th minute, when Jančula surprised the "home team" and gave Slovakia the first lead in the match. France returned the hit quickly and strongly, in less than a minute Bencherif and Pereira Basilio scored, but then, with a lucky free kick, Marton scored again to equalize. However, the French did not allow the Slovaks to break their winning streak, in the 37th minute Traore got the victory for his national team.
STATEMENTS AFTER THE GAME:
Pierre Etienne Demillier, Head Coach of France:
»We did not expect such a match, the Slovaks showed a different performance than against Slovenia. We did not imagine that they would be so ready for this showdown. The duel was more challenging than we expected. We achieved an important victory. This result showed that there is still a lot of work ahead of us. We are not yet ready to play against the best.«
Richard Bačo, Head Coach of Slovakia:
»The feeling is better than after the first match. We changed tactics. We knew the rivals were very good in movement, so we played more defensively. We tried to focus on defense with instructions to stay active in the offense. We made several mistakes, some moments were good, some bad. It was a very good match and a good experience for the players.«
Bosnia and Herzegovina : Slovakia 3:2 (2:0)
Scorers: 1:0 Jelić (1'), 2:0 Ivanković (10'), 2:1 Ševćik (32'), 3:1 Radmilović (37'), 3:2 Čerovsky (39').
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Milanović, Hršumović, Sesar, Arnautović, Gašpar, Ivanković, Jelić, Hrkać, Kahvedžić, Radmilović, Bošković, Galić, Kalajdžić, Pantić, Poričanin.
Slovakia: Karpiak, Oberman, Kušnir, Ševčik, Ostrak, Vaktor, Čerovsky, Smerička, Greško, Turek, Matejov, Rafanides, Marton, Medon.
Before leaving for their homeland, Slovakia competed against the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a participant in the upcoming European Championship. The selector Ivo Krezo's team entered the match in a dream. With a goal by Bilal Jelić, they took the lead in the first minute. In the tenth, Ivanković doubled the advantage of Bosnia and Herzegovina and thus set the result of the half.
After that, the Slovaks returned to the game with a goal by Ševčik in the 32nd minute. The victory of their team was sealed with a goal by captain Anel Radmilović, but Slovakia took care of an interesting final with a goal by Čerovsky in the 39th minute. With the result 3: 2, it remained even at the end of playing time. The Bosnian national team extended their undefeated streak at the Umag Nations Cup, and Slovakia said goodbye to the tournament with a respectable performance.
STATEMENTS AFTER THE GAME
Ivo Krezo, Head Coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
»Congratulations to my players for the approach and the great match played. The showdown ended 3-2, but the win could have been higher. For our footballers, these are the first tests after a long break, this is our first choir after the qualifiers. The national championships have already started in Slovenia and Slovakia, ours has not yet. The guys aren’t in a competitive rhythm yet, so I can be happy with what’s shown. Kudos to B4Sport. We really feel wonderful in Umag. I hope that there will be more such tournaments, with which futsal will progress.«
Marian Berky, Head Coach of Slovakia:
»The match was a real battle in the full sense of the word. It was a tougher match than against Slovenia, as Bosnia and Herzegovina is a more physical team. For our young footballers, it was a great experience as they were able to play against the participants of the European Championship. The team has proven that it can survive such a match even in an imperfect lineup. We have created a lot of opportunities, so defeat is not justified in my opinion. I was positively surprised by the young players who were given the opportunity to play.«
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