Thursday 3 July 2025

With the disappointment of the semi-final still lingering, the girls returned to the same venue, this time with one final mission — to finish third in their maiden international futsal tournament.

Their opponents were Italian side Sporting Club Marconi, and this match marked their last outing in this year’s competition. The signs of a long, gruelling tour were clear: tired limbs, visible fatigue, and sore bodies.

But the desire to end on a high was stronger than ever. The team had already exceeded expectations, and now they had one more chance to give everything in pursuit of a well-earned place on the podium.

Could they find the energy for one last standout performance?

First Half

The coaches could not have asked for a better start, with Bootham creating chance after chance in the opening ten minutes. The girls were in total control, dominating possession and dictating the tempo of the game.

Their pressure was finally rewarded when some brilliant work from Hannah set up Eleanor, who calmly finished from close range to give Bootham a deserved lead.

It looked like the game could have been wrapped up before the break, but Bootham’s failure to convert further chances came back to haunt them. Right on the stroke of halftime, a rare mistake allowed Marconi to capitalise and equalise with the final kick of the half.

Half Time: Bootham 1 – 1 Sport Club Marconi

Second Half

The second half started much more evenly, with Marconi causing Bootham some problems through long-range shots that Heidi dealt with confidently.

Marconi then took the lead when a long throw from their keeper bypassed the Bootham backline, allowing their striker to finish with ease. Bootham began to wobble and needed a moment of inspiration to get back into the game.

Captain Heather provided just that. Receiving a pass from Abbie, she fired a powerful shot that flew into the top corner to bring Bootham level.

From that point on, it was all Bootham. With six minutes remaining, Heather smashed the ball into the roof of the net from a corner set-piece, scoring another contender for goal of the tournament.

The biggest cheer of the week came when Hattie, who had been injured before arriving in Italy, came on for the final five minutes and nearly scored herself.

In a frantic closing spell, during which Marconi flew their keeper forward in search of a late equaliser, Bootham held firm to secure a historic third-place finish.

Full Time: Bootham 3 – 2 Sport Club Marconi

The live feed from the tournament:

And the highlights from the organisers:

Post-Match Reflections

After the final whistle, a delighted Coach Chris shared his thoughts on the performance:

“Wow, what can I say about that?

Simply put, that was the best performance from the girls in the entire tournament. From the very first whistle, they took the game to the Italian side and caused them constant problems. We should have been four or five goals up by halftime.

A mistake cost us just before the break, but I knew the girls weren’t finished. Just when it starts to feel like it might not be your day, you ask for a captain’s performance — and Heather stepped up with two wonderful strikes to give us the victory. She has worked tirelessly all week and fully deserved those goals.

What a response. What a team performance. To come back from the disappointment of yesterday’s semi-final and secure a place on the podium speaks volumes.

Every single one of these girls has given everything for the club this week. What a performance — and what a team!”

Images from day 5 – all curtsy of Suzy Collins: