EUG 24 Men's Football: A look back at an unforgettable tournament

Day 1: Arrival and start of the tournament After a long journey of around 15 hours, we arrived safely and were able to watch the first semi-final between Spain and France just in time for the public viewing on campus. The successful start to the evening was not only a nice prelude to the start of the tournament, but also a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other better.

Day 2: Draw and preparation On the second day, the draw took place and the rules were announced. We were drawn from pot 1 in group B with the following universities: - Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad (Romania) - BI Norwegian Business School Bergen (Norway) - University of Salzburg (Austria) The tournament was played out in four groups and then continued with quarter-finals, with each place being played out in full. In addition, we were able to prepare ourselves well for the start of the tournament through training and organizational preparations.

Day 3: Opening win against the University of Salzburg We got the tournament off to a successful start with a 3:1 win. The goals were scored by Barnick, Lindner and Weimer. Despite a strong Salzburg team, we defended with discipline and took our chances effectively. After going 2-1 up, we didn't let ourselves get rattled and scored the final goal to make it 3-1. We wish the Salzburg No. 1, who was injured in stoppage time, a speedy recovery. We used the rest of the day to relax and watch various futsal and soccer matches on site.

Day 4: Commanding victory against Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad We topped Group B with a well-deserved 4:0 win. The goals were scored by Barnick, Preine, Würz and Zwick. We controlled the game throughout and didn't concede any chances. After the game, we watched more games of soccer, futsal and 3x3 basketball before heading to the opening ceremony in the afternoon.

Day 5: Group win against BI Norwegian Business School Bergen We won our third match against BI Norwegian Business School Bergen with a confident 2:0. The goals were scored by Bitzer and Karle. This made us the undefeated group winners. We celebrated this success in the old town of Debrecen with its numerous small bars.

Day 6: Recreation at the Aquaticum Thanks to reaching the quarter-finals, we had a day off, which we used for a relaxing trip to the large Aquaticum. We recharged our batteries there throughout the afternoon. In the evening, we watched the European Championship final and enjoyed the rest of the day.

Day 7: Quarter-final win against the University of Granada After a confident team performance, we won 1:0 thanks to a goal from Bastian Barnick in the first half. Despite some good opportunities, we were unable to extend our lead, but defended well and hardly conceded any chances. Granada were characterized by an emotional style of play and unprofessional behaviour, but we held firm. A strong performance from our team and a place in the semi-finals, where a German clash against Würzburg awaited us.

Day 8: Semi-final defeat against the University of Würzburg In the semi-final, we suffered a bitter 1:4 defeat due to too many individual mistakes. To clear our heads, we visited the FunZone in the evening, a meet & greet spot for all EUG participants. There we spent the evening hours with other teams and volunteers and had a great last evening in Debrecen.

Day 9: 3rd place match against University of Debrecen Despite our best efforts, the match ended 0:0 and we had to play a shoot-out, which we unfortunately lost 5:3. Although we missed out on third place, we can look back proudly on our performance and the time we spent together. It was a unique experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Despite the disappointment at the end, an unforgettable tournament with an unforgettable 4th place remains in our memories. We worked great together as a team, gained a lot of valuable experience and made new friends. A big thank you to everyone involved.