By Guo Yishun, Song Chong

On June 16th, Shanghai hosted the finals of the 2024 World University Championship Futsal , where Croatia and Brazil claimed victory in the men's and women's categories, respectively.

In the women's final, Brazil faced off against defending champions Portugal. After a scoreless first half, Portugal took the lead with a deflected shot just before halftime. Brazil quickly equalized in the second half from a set-piece opportunity, setting the stage for a tense battle. The game extended into extra time, where Brazil netted two crucial goals, securing a 3-1 victory and the championship title.

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The men's final saw Croatia dominate early against Brazil, scoring within the first minute and adding another goal before halftime. Brazil narrowed the gap to 2-1 early in the second half, but Croatia responded with two more goals, sealing a decisive 4-1 win.

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Nikola Gudasic of the Croatian team expressed his joy after the match, saying, "After a tough game, we managed to win. It was a great experience."

Lucas Fernandez, coach of the Brazilian women's team, praised the event and the host city: "It was a challenging match, and our players deserved the win. It's been a fantastic experience here in Shanghai, a beautiful city with excellent organization."

In other results, the Chinese women's team earned the bronze medal, while the French men's team secured third place by defeating Ukraine. The Chinese men's team finished in 11th place.

Photos by Jiang Huihui

Editor: Lin Yan, Shu Zhengyu