The University for Development Studies (UDS) has been crowned champions of the 2025 World University Games after a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over defending champions Paulista University of Brazil.
A crowd of nearly 23,000 fans at the stadium witnessed a pulsating final that began disastrously for the Ghanaians. Within the opening 30 seconds, Paulista’s Gabriel Viera capitalized on a defensive lapse, lobbing the ball over UDS goalkeeper Emmanuel Edo to give the Brazilians an early lead.
UDS, under coach Ibrahim Tanko, quickly regained composure and dominated possession, creating numerous scoring opportunities. However, Paulista’s goalkeeper Silva kept the visitors ahead with a series of fine saves.
The breakthrough finally came in stoppage time. In the 93rd minute, Frimpong darted past his marker and forced a save from Silva, only for captain Asigre Sulemana to pounce on the rebound and equalize, sending the match into extra time.
UDS maintained their momentum into the additional period, but Silva continued to frustrate the Ghanaians with crucial stops. It wasn’t until the 121st minute that the deadlock was broken. A corner from Ezedeen Alhassan slipped through Silva’s grasp and found the back of the net, sealing a dramatic turnaround and sparking wild celebrations on the UDS bench.
The victory marks a historic moment for Ghanaian university football, dethroning Paulista as champions and crowning UDS as the 2025 World University Games winners.
Source – My News Ghana
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