Futsal Euro in Slovenia lived up to the hype

Portugal were the darlings of the tournament, which ended on Saturday with Ricardinho's crew beating seven-time champions Spain to win their first Futsal Euro title to the delight of many Portuguese fans who showed up in Slovenia.

The Magician, as he is nicknamed, finished the tournament as the most valuable player and the best scorer with seven goals. He received the trophy after being treated for an injury that he suffered only minutes before the end of the finals.

The final day also saw Russia win bronze after finishing as the runners-up at the previous tournament in Serbia in 2016, beating Kazakhstan who failed to defend their third-place from two years ago in what was only their second Futsal Euro.

Kazakhstan was arguably the second most popular team at the tournament, fielding feisty Taynan and technical master Douglas Junior, as well as the offensive...

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