Day 2 of the 2025 FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup delivered thrilling action as two of the world’s top-ranked teams, Spain and Thailand, faced off in a showdown that lived up to their second and fourth world rankings.
Spain emerged victorious, 5-2, in the tournament’s closest match so far on Saturday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, proving why they are three-time UEFA Women’s Futsal champions.
Earlier in the day, Colombia made a strong statement, blanking Canada 2-0 in a confident performance that set the tone for the South American nation’s campaign.
In the headline match, Spain trailed twice before pulling away with three unanswered goals. Laura Cordoba struck twice in the 16th and 18th minutes, and Maria Sanz Navarro added a decisive 32nd-minute goal to secure the win over a resilient Thailand side.
The contest was a back-and-forth affair early on. Spain’s Vane Sotelo (7’) and Irene Cordoba (11’) saw their goals canceled by Thai duo Jenjira Bubpha (9’) and Sasikarn Tongdee (14’) before Spain gradually took control.
“I didn’t see a great game,” Spain coach Clàudia Pons said. “Both teams showed their cards. Thailand made things very difficult for us. We knew they would be tough opponents because they always maintain their discipline, and we knew we had to play a very serious game.”
She added, “In the end, I think we did very well in different aspects and at different moments of the game. We’re very happy with this start and now we’re thinking about the next game against Colombia.”
(C) FIFA
Colombia, meanwhile, relied on consistent pressure to claim victory over Canada. Angely Camargo opened the scoring with a 16th-minute tap-in, and Nicole Mancilla doubled the lead in the 29th minute to seal the win for the South Americans.
“The expectation was to win the game,” Colombia coach Roberto Bruno said. “Getting the three points was the most important thing, and we did it. It feels really good. We knew we were going to win because we had worked for it, and now we’re already thinking about the next opponent.”
After Day 2, Spain tops Group B with three points and a +3 goal difference, while Colombia follows closely with three points and a +2 goal difference. Canada and Thailand occupy the third and fourth spots, respectively.
All four teams return to action on Tuesday at the same venue, with Canada facing Thailand at 6:00 PM and Spain taking on Colombia at 8:30 PM.
