The start of the European Under 13 Championships in Kosta brought joy to the hosts after a thrilling match against Luxembourg. Sweden recovered from a 0–2 deficit to win 3–2. See the pictures here
In the opening duel, Luxembourg’s pair Noah VALENTE and Kinda MOSTAFA overcame Zac HALLÉN and Esther WARENFELDT 3–1, before Nora CATTAZZO widened the gap with a straight-games win over Leah TULEFALT.
Joel ISAKSSON turned the tide of the match with a convincing 3–0 win against Mattis GOEDERT, but the biggest battle came in the clash between Esther WARENFELDT and Kinda MOSTAFA. After a 3–2 victory, Sweden leveled the score. Noah VALENTE then sealed the match for Luxembourg with a 3–1 win over Zac HALLÉN.
“We had a tough start and were down 0–2 in matches, but the players kept fighting for every point and eventually we managed to turn the match around. I’m very happy with the players’ performance,” said coach Gilles FORZY.
What’s important in close matches like these?
“For us, it is definitely about keeping positive energy and team spirit, where we push each other forward. Of course, it’s nerve-racking to play the first match in a European Championship, especially in front of a home crowd, but the players helped each other to become more relaxed as the match went on,” added coach Joel SVENSSON.
You showed great spirit on the bench during the match, is that something you discussed before the tournament?
“We are not surprised that the players show such strong team spirit as they always do, but we are of course proud that they step up for each other and support their teammates when they face difficult situations. In team events, that can make a big difference,” concluded Gilles FORZY.
In the opening round, Ukraine stretched Bulgaria to all five matches before Bulgaria finally prevailed. Romania beat England, Spain overcame Montenegro, Czechia defeated the Netherlands, and Croatia outplayed Estonia, all by 5–0.
PHOTO: Manfred Schillings
Poland made a strong start. Ignacy SLAWINSKI, Julia Szarmach, Olaf GLANERT and Nicol BARTOSZKO overcame Belgium’s Sam VANDENBULCKE, Temperance TANG, Lilou DANTINNE and Julian DEDEKEN, before defeating top seeds Slovakia.
Slovakia was represented by Gilip NAGY, Bianka BACSOVA, Vivien MURKOVA and Juraj de MIGUEL.
“We are feeling strong and very focused on every match. We work a lot on specific parts of the game to be more effective, and we learn from each mistake. In this tournament we don’t set goals based on results, but rather focus on preparing as well as possible for every match and enjoying the game,” said coach Zbigniew GRZESLAK.
