Blind Football: Poland and Wisła win gold in Morocco

On June 29-30, an international national team tournament was held in Morocco, featuring teams from Africa, Asia, and Europe. Poland represented the Old Continent, with a squad including players from our BF section.

The Polish national team took part in the event in Casablanca, which was part of the hosts' preparations for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. The Polish team treated the tournament as a continuation of their preparations for the 2025 European Championship qualifying tournament. The Iraqi national team completed the tournament's full complement of participants.

In the opening match, Poland faced Morocco, and the course of the match, along with its final result, was somewhat of a surprise for both sides. The Polish national team thrashed the hosts 6-0 thanks to hat-tricks from Jung and Zinkow.

"The final result is the result of our very good and unexpectedly effective attacking play. I can't remember the last time we scored on practically every shot. This is very encouraging, especially considering that the home team included players fighting for a spot at the Olympics. For us, it's additional motivation and valuable experience," said Paweł Zinkow.

It is worth noting that the "zero" in terms of goals conceded is also due to, among others, Krzysztof Bednarkiewicz, who saved a penalty kick in the final moments of the match.

The nature of the three-team competition meant that a win against Morocco guaranteed a spot in the additional gold medal match, which was to be played on June 30th at 3:00 PM. The result of the match against Iraq was therefore irrelevant, but that didn't mean our team wasn't eager to win. After Jung's double, Poland won 2-0.

"It was a completely different match, and the word 'match' is not accidental. It was a very physical, at times brutal game from our opponents. The referees allowed a lot, not to say too much. I'm sure that in Europe, such a match would have ended with several yellow cards, or even red cards. I have no idea how we managed without injuries. All the more credit to our guys for persevering and winning," described Tomasz Klasa.

On Sunday, Poland faced Iraq again, who, after a 1-1 draw with Morocco, had snatched the right to play for gold. The final score was identical to the previous day – 2-0 in favor of our team, thanks to goals from Jung and Zinkow.

"It was a tough match, as our opponents were very focused. You could feel they were determined to reach the penalty shootout, and they only opened up after the first goal. A goal late in the match to make it 2-0 calmed us down, and we were able to start playing the ball away from an aggressive opponent. We're very happy with our full set of victories and the victory in the Moroccan tournament, especially since it was a ranking competition and the team can count on more than just a trophy," added Kacper Domagała.

Wisła BF's players and staff will enjoy a short break. They will return to the pitch in early August to resume preparations for the upcoming challenges. That same month, the national team will participate in another international tournament, and in September and October, the White Star BF will compete in four tournaments – including the final round of the PGF Blind Football League and the Polish Cup.

Congratulations to the entire team and our national team players!