Photography: Felipe Echeverría - Santiago Barcacel
The VIII FIFUSA Futsal World Cup kicked off with an authentic goal show and excitement at the Bicentenario Coliseum in Bucaramanga. In their debut, Venezuela demonstrated their full strength by crushing Costa Rica 6-1, making their intentions in the tournament clear.
First Half: Costa Rica strikes first, but Venezuela responds with power The match started with a surprise as Costa Rica took the lead with a goal from Pablo Fallas (#7), who capitalized on a brilliant assist from Alejandro Casasola (#6) to make it 1-0. However, Costa Rica’s joy was short-lived.
Venezuela quickly reacted. In the 8th minute, Quintana (#5) equalized with a precise shot, igniting the Venezuelan fans. Shortly after, Meriño (#11) became the star of the match, scoring two goals in quick succession. The first came at the 3:50 mark with an assist from Falcón Mendoza (#3), and the second just 1:59 before the end of the first half. With this, Venezuela closed the first half with a comfortable 3-1 lead.
Second Half: Venezuela imposes its dominance and seals the match The second half was completely dominated by Venezuela. Meriño (#11) continued his scoring streak, netting his third goal of the match at the 14:20 mark, this time assisted by Quintana (#5). The Venezuelan attack didn’t stop there. Pantoja (#9) added the fifth goal at 12:14, following an assist from Rivas (#10), and Baracaldo (#7) sealed the 6-1 victory at 4:10.
With this overwhelming 6-1 victory, Venezuela establishes itself as one of the teams to watch in the tournament, showing they are ready to compete at the highest level. Costa Rica, on the other hand, will need to quickly adjust their strategy for the upcoming matches if they want to stay in contention.
FIFUSA Press