The Ukrainian girls' futsal team has written its name into the history of national sports by winning its first-ever gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games. In the final match against Venezuela, the Ukrainians demonstrated incredible character and a will to win, triumphing in extra time with a score of 4:3. This success is truly unique: since futsal’s debut in the Youth Olympic program in 2018, Ukrainian girls had never qualified for this tournament, and now they have secured the top prize at their first attempt.
A Tense Final: Two Goals from Ruchka and a Close Contest
The match began with active pressure from the Ukrainians, who took the initiative from the first minutes. As early as the 7th minute, Margarita Ruchka opened the scoring, capitalizing on a rebound. However, the Venezuelans did not let their opponents relax: in the 16th minute, Paz equalized, and before the break, the teams exchanged another goal — in the 21st minute, Ruchka scored her second, putting Ukraine ahead again. The 2:1 lead for the "blue and yellows" held until halftime, but the tension in the arena mounted with every passing minute.
The Second Half: Seven Seconds to Respond and Four Minutes to the Climax
The second half started with even higher intensity. Venezuela managed to level the score — in the 31st minute, Gutellias equalized. But the "blue and yellows" needed just seven seconds after the game restarted to take the lead again: Ruchka seemed to have completed a hat-trick, although official protocols recorded her second goal in the 21st minute, and she delivered the decisive strike at the start of the second half. In the 36th minute, Eva Shchavinska put Ukraine ahead 3:2, and it seemed victory was already in hand. The ending of regulation time was dramatic: 20 seconds before the final whistle, Aguilar leveled the score again, forcing the match into extra time.
Historic Goal by Vlasenko: 4:3 in Extra Time
In the grueling extra time, where both teams were at the limit of their physical and emotional strength, Adelina Vlasenko scored the winning and historic goal from an assist by Angelina Zaporozhets. The 42nd-minute goal brought Ukraine not just a final victory, but its first-ever gold medal in futsal at the Youth Olympics. It is symbolic that during the tournament, the Ukrainians met Venezuela twice, and in both instances, they snatched victory in extra time — this became the team's trademark at these Games.
Eight Awards for Ukraine and Another Bronze in Boxing
Thanks to this gold, Ukraine's team at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games now has eight awards: three gold, two silver, and three bronze medals. This futsal triumph was not the only sporting joy of the day: today, Ukrainian boxer Evangelina Petruk won a historic bronze medal at the Youth Olympics, adding another line to the country's medal count. For Ukrainian futsal, this result represents a breakthrough: a sport that only appeared in the Youth Olympic program in 2018 has gifted the country its first Olympic medal in the discipline — and a gold one at that.
