Five benfiquistas crowned European U19 champions

For the first time in their history, the National Under-19 Team won the European Futsal Championship, with a strong contribution from Benfica's Lúcio Rocha (team captain, top scorer and voted the best player in the competition), Pedro Marques, Diogo Carrera, Afonso Serra and Tomás Colaço. In the final, Portugal beat Spain 6-2 on Sunday, September 10, in Croatia. 

BENFICA PLAYER'S CONTRIBUTION ON THE ROAD TO THE FINAL 

On matchday 1 of group A (France and Croatia were the other rivals), on September 3, captain Lúcio Rocha was part of the starting five against Spain and scored one of the goals in the 5-3 win (29').

Tomás Colaço, a player from the eagles who last season represented AD Fundão on loan, was also in evidence, as he was brought on during the game and scored a brace (19' and 36').

Note also the use of goalkeepers Diogo Carrera, Pedro Marques and Afonso Serra in Portugal's debut at the event.

This was followed by the match against France on Monday, September 4. The win (1-5) enabled them to qualify for the semi-finals. At half-time, the score was level, but the contributions of Lúcio Rocha, who started the game, and Afonso Serra, who scored twice (31' and 32' respectively), had a direct influence on the outcome.

In addition to this duo, coach José Luís Mendes also called on Diogo Carrera, Tomás Colaço and Pedro Marques.

At the end of the group stage, Pedro Marques was a key player in the 100% winning streak. An option from the bench, the Benfica futsal player scored a hat-trick (19', 29' and 30') in the win against Croatia (3-4). In this match, held on Wednesday, September 6, Tomás Colaço was part of the starting five, while Diogo Carrera, Lúcio Rocha and Afonso Serra, who made their debut as substitutes, also got minutes.

In the semi-final, played on Friday, September 8, Portugal faced Slovenia. Once again, the actions of the Reds' players were reflected in their success. In the 39th minute, Lúcio Rocha, a starter, broke the deadlock (2-2) and handed victory to the Portuguese national team (3-2), who went on to play in their second consecutive final of the European Under-19 Championship. Tomás Colaço came off the bench to score the opening goal of the match in the 10th minute.