A sizeable crowd gathered at the English Institute of Sport to watch the Steel City’s two university futsal teams lock horns on the day of Varsity’s grand finale.
The first game of the morning saw the second teams take centre stage, with the two sides given an early kick-off time of 08:45. Despite this, both sides had clearly had their Weetabix, as the Institute’s spectators were treated to an enthralling encounter from the off.
Sheffield Hallam dominated proceedings in the opening minutes and had numerous stabs at goal, but were unable to conjure anything of notable value.
After a few minutes, the University of Sheffield began to assert themselves and did a great job of keeping Hallam at bay before having their own spell of attacking dominance. Their number 15, Joe Kyle, showcased power, with two close-range efforts narrowly missing the target.
Shortly after, Uni of had a strong claim for a penalty denied by the referee. Kyle was played through on goal, before Hallam shot stopper Ethan Clifford rushed out to claim.
The deadlock was broken in the 16th minute when Hallam’s Andrew Foggo set up Tsotne Betsunaidze for a clinical finish into the bottom corner. The latter showed passion with a brave celebration in front of the opposing team’s bench.
Immediately after the goal, both teams called for a timeout, with the half-time buzzer sounding shortly after. Hallam held a slender but deserved lead at the interval.
HALF-TIME: Uni of Sheffield 0-1 Sheffield Hallam
Uni of emerged from the break with newfound vigour, causing immediate chaos in Hallam’s box. A goalmouth scramble ensued, but eventually Clifford claimed the ball.
The crowd erupted as Uni of continued to press forward. Just two minutes from the restart, Xander Allman was played wonderfully through on goal before calmly slotting the ball into the bottom left corner from a tight angle to level the contest.
Shortly after his first, Allman was already hunting for a brace but was unable to meet the target with his second effort.
Uni of’s dominance was further demonstrated when Sam Morrow stepped behind a free-kick in his own half before unleashing a stunning strike that rocketed into the top corner to give them a 2-1 lead. It was a moment of brilliance that erupted both the crowd and Uni of’s bench, who ran onto the playing surface to celebrate.
Understandably, Uni of were full of confidence at this point and were treating the crowd to some fantastic free-flowing play.
On the half-hour mark, Morrow grabbed his second of the game. After finding space in the final third, the Uni of man forced Clifford out of his net, before lobbing the ball over him and the line with precision to extend his university’s advantage to 3-1.
Just minutes later, Uni of capitalised on their confidence yet again, increasing their lead to three goals with another lob, this time from Logan Lidbetter-Smith, who skillfully launched the ball over Clifford from close range, leaving Hallam to stare a daunting deficit in the face.
Despite their desperate attempts to claw their way back into the contest, Hallam were struggling, and there was a feeling that the damage had already been done.
However, the team in the descendancy were resilient and tested their opponents’ defence on multiple occasions. Betsunaidze, Ben Dennis-Jones, and captain Alex Clark all had efforts on goal, but Uni of’s goalkeeper Louis Austin stood firm, denying them any chance of a comeback.
Hallam’s period of dominance fuelled Uni of with desire to extend their lead even further. They continued to assert their authority before Morrow got hold of the ball from a rebound and fired into an open net to complete his hat trick.
Desperate to claw their way back, Hallam intensified their attacks, but Uni of’s defence stood tall, with their goalkeeper pulling off multiple saves to deny them any hope of a consolation goal.
In the dying embers of the game, Uni of’s Shah forced a save from Clifford, before a Hallam forward saw an effort go wide.
Despite Hallam’s valiant efforts, Uni of emerged triumphant, with one half of the arena delighted with the stunning turnaround.
FULL-TIME: Uni of Sheffield 5-1 Sheffield Hallam
All Image Credits: John Cresswell