Champions in 12 divisions were crowned on Friday, as five days of non-stop Futsal came to an end at the Melbourne Sports Centre in Parkville.
The day kicked-off at 10:30AM with four games, including the only two remaining semi-finals - both in the Under 17 Girls Division. With a spot in the Grand Final on the line, Football NSW Thunder scored a last gasp extra time winner to edge past Football QLD. The match was a thriller, setting the theme for the rest of the day.
In the other semi-final, Capital Football kept their dream alive with a 3-1 win against NSW Lightning.
The two sides returned to the pitch at 2:30PM to compete for gold in a game that once again delivered in spades. Locked at 3-3, the match went to extra time where the breakthrough finally came, NSW Thunder rocketing a free kick around the wall and into the top right corner to seal the win.
In the other 10:30AM game Football QLD capped off a dominant run in the AWD Mixed Division by claiming gold. The Queenslanders had breezed through the group stages, scoring 48 goals in four games, then went on to beat Football SA 8-1 in the semi. The team's confidence and momentum was clear in the Grand Final as they capped off the tournament in style, beating NSW Thunder 7-1.
In the last of the morning games Football Victoria and Football QLD faced off in the Under 12 Boys division. Football QLD raced to a 5-1 lead before late goals from the Victorians setup an interesting finish, but ultimately the Queenslanders proved too strong winning 5-3.
Fans were treated to a pair of classics in the midday kick-offs, with two intense championship bouts taking place simultaneously.
On Pitch 1 the Under 13 Girls of Football Queensland came back from two behind to force extra time against Football Victoria. After each team found the net in extra time the match went to penalties, where the Victorians held their nerve in front of a packed crowd to claim the championship.
The Under 13 Boys game, taking place next door on Pitch 2 also ended in disappointment for Football QLD, with NSW downing Queensland 6-4 in a fast-paced attacking game.
The tides turned in the afternoon for some of Queensland's teams however as the Under 14 Boys scored an impressive 4-2 win against Capital Football.
The Under 15 Boys then scored a momentous 4-3 win against Football Victoria in one of the day's more heated encounters. The Queenslanders showed a ruthless edge to race to a 3-0 lead before Victoria scored a brace with two minutes to go to setup a tense finish. A fourth goal to Queensland with made the game seem secure but another late Victorian goal led to a frantic last 30 seconds, with Victorian ultimately falling just short.
Football Victoria downed NSW Country 5-2 in the Under 15 Girls after being deadlocked at 2-2 at halftime. It was an entertaining game throughout, but the home side finished with a wet sail to secure the crown.
The high level of competition continued well into the afternoon as Football NSW Country and Football QLD's under 16 boys met in a back-and-forth encounter. Queensland ultimately proved too strong with a late goal quashing NSW Country's comeback - final score 5-3.
Football NSW's Youth Men's team capped off an impressive tournament by scoring a comprehensive 9-1 win over Capital Football. The NSW side swept through the championships without dropping a game and thoroughly deserved to leave the championships with the trophy.
In one of the tightest divisions of the championships Capital Football and NSW Thunder met in the Women's Open division. The two teams ended the group stages as joint leaders and in their previous encounter were hardly separated, with Thunder claiming a 3-2 win.
The Grand Final followed a similar script with the game going to extra time after the teams were deadlocked at 1-1. With fatigue creeping as the added period wore on NSW found an extra gear, scoring three late goals to seal a remarkable 4-1 victory.
With every other game complete and champions crowned across eleven divisions at 7PM the Open Men's match took centre stage.
Football NSW Thunder and Football Victoria finished one and two in the group stages and had proved a class above in their respective semi-finals, with NSW defeating Football QLD 9-1 and Victoria downing Football West 5-1.
By kick-off a full crowd had piled into the Melbourne Sports Centre as Football Victoria stormed out of the gates, racing to the 3-0 lead. As the first half wore on the Sky Blues wrestled momentum back and closed the gap with a pair of goals, flipping the game on its head.
The second half continued in the same vein as the two heavyweights traded blows, with Football Victoria securing a 4-3 lead in the second half. Despite NSW Thunder's best efforts an equaliser eluded them and the home side held firm to claim the coveted title of Open Men's National Futsal Champions.
