MADRID, 4 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish women’s futsal team was honored this Monday at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas (Madrid) after becoming European champions by beating Portugal on penalties this Sunday in the final, a title that shows that, “before the adversities, the group responds”.
With the entire team in the Luis Aragonés Hall, an emotional summary video with images of the championship, in which the Spanish revalidated their crown again against Portugal, opened the event, in which the president of the Royal Spanish Federation of Football (RFEF), Luis Rubiales.
The coach Clàudia Pons and the captains Anita Luján, Patricia González ‘Peque’ and Silvia Aguete represented “the family” on stage. “The path seems easy, but seeing that you are facing a rival who is playing at home for the second time and is hungry to win, that the pavilion is going to be full… In the face of adversity, the group responds. That is what we defines,” stressed Pons.
In addition, he highlighted the contribution of each of the internationals who have passed through the national team in recent years. “It is very important to recognize the work of each one of them, not only the 16 who are here, but also the 28 players who have passed throughout this season to help us prepare for the tournament to arrive in the best conditions. “, he pointed.
“It has been seen on the track that we are a family and for each one of them we have killed. That is how we have won the European Championship”, assured Anita Luján. “We like to compete, and when we are in the 40×20 we look at each other and win. We have the best league in the world and that helps us,” Peque added.
For her part, goalkeeper Silvia Aguete recalled the penalty shootout. “I had the internal certainty that we were going to win and that someone was going to stop for sure. During training we were preparing it, we had a choreography set up of where the Portuguese were going to shoot and it came out 100%,” she said.
Finally, Rubiales defended that “many things have been done” for women’s futsal. “We have created the lower categories of the national teams and created a coaching staff that will work ‘full time’ to achieve results. We are working on decent bonuses for being champions. A lot of work has been done, although there are still things to do. It is important that part of the RFEF’s income so that the players can have their contracts registered”. she stated.
“The closeness with which the futsal committee treats the women’s teams has nothing to do with what was before. The fair thing is now, and we are going to go further. I give you my word that we are going to continue improving”, he concluded.