Havana, August 19 (JIT)-- The Ekaterinburg International University Sports Festival 2023 left a great joy for Cuba on Saturday. 

For the first time in history, a Cuban women's futsal team competed in the international arena, in this case against its Iranian counterpart.

The inexperience of the Cubans contrasted with the record of the Persians, champions of Asia, but the event was lived with more enthusiasm than nerves.
Even the team coached by Gregorio Morales was able to show a good side, who told JIT that "it was a fairly balanced match until the Iranians scored their second goal".
Cuba began playing the ball quickly, despite the pressure, and was able to create scoring chances. However, their experienced opponents soon found order and stability and opened the scoring.

Even with the game going uphill, the Caribbeans did not stop trying. Gianna Borrego's penalty kick became the first Cuban goal scorer in an international event of this discipline. Then Yeranis Lee scored the second for Cuba, also from the penalty spot, and the match ended in a 7-2 defeat.

"I really take everything positive that the Cuban warriors have achieved. This first experience tells us that if we continue working seriously we can grow," said Morales.
"We made some mistakes, from which we are going to learn to improve the face. This will be our best school to grow," he noted.

"We are going to move forward. We have a promising future. A big step was taken today and surely many more are to come. Much remains to be done, but I believe in this group and in the capacity of Cuban women," she concluded. 

The next presentation of the Cuban women will take place on August 21 against the team of the Moscow Polytechnic University.