Russia win U19 CP Football World Championships
20.08.2015
Gazdanov shines for Russia in the first under-19 CP Football World Championships
Soslan Gazdanov sealed the victory for Russia, scoring all three goals that helped his team defeat Brazil 3-2 and capture the inaugural Cerebral Palsy Football World Championships Under 19 on Saturday (15 August) in Nottingham, Great Britain.
Gazdanov broke a 1-1 tie by netting a goal at the 41-minute mark. Two minutes later, he followed up with another score that made it difficult for Brazil to catch up.
Gazdanov opened the gold-medal game with the first score, but Brazil’s Igor Romero evened the game with a shot of his own shortly after. Trailing 3-1 late in the game, Weslley De Souza Mendez tried to rally Team Brazil with a late score for 3-2, but his team could not find the goal in the winding minutes.
England won the bronze medal with a 2-1 victory over Scotland, thanks to Dale Smith’s game winner. Oliver Nugent got things started for England with a goal in the opening minute. Robert Miller found the back of the net to ensure Scotland entered halftime with a 1-1 tie, but it was not enough.
The World Championships were part of the Nottingham 2015 Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) World Games, which were held from 6-16 August.
The tournament included seven teams divided into two groups and featured a round-robin format, with Australia, the Netherlands and Japan also competing.
Complete results of the U19 Football World Championships can be found on the International Federation of CP Football’s (IFCPF) website.