USSA News Team SA kicks off 2019 World Student Games campaign BENEVENTO, ITALY – The South African men’s football team kick-started their 30th Summer Universiade campaign when they faced France in a Group C preliminary encounter on Tuesday evening. The confident South African university team got off to a great start, with fluid ball movement. In the third minute of the game, Kurt Pienaar supplied a perfect square ball into the 18-area, but none of his teammates were there to follow through. What started as an equally faired match from kick-off changed in the ninth minute, when France took an early lead from Florian Chavanon’s clinical shot that blistered passed the South African keeper. Team South Africa (Team SA) were relentless in their quest to find an equalizer; however, France’s defence was too solid for the men in yellow and green to penetrate through. The French team were starting to absorb the pressure from the South African attack and in the 38th minute the referee dished out, with no hesitation, the only yellow card of the game when French captain, Mathieu Blasco, dangerously took down South African skipper, Thabang Chuene. South Africa failed to find the back of the net and went into the half-time break trailing 1-0 behind their French counterparts. The second-half of the game saw both teams making substitutions, and exactly 70 minutes (79th minute) after France’s first goal, Victor Corneillie found the back of the net, after South Africa failed to reorganise themselves after expecting a foul to be called by the referee, who instead signalled for play to continue. In the 86th minute, Tanguy Guerineau further extended France’s lead over Team SA when he found a gap in-between the South African defence. Shortly after that, Kurt Pienaar responded to France by slotting one in past the French goalkeeper, to make the score 3-1, in favour of France in the 87th minute. The next segment of the game saw South Africa weaving through the French defence and futilely pounding the ball at the goal posts, but they had left the urgency to score until too late and failed to find the back of the net again. Final score: France 3 – 1 South Africa Goal scorers: 9’ Florian Chavanon 79’ Victor Corneillie 86’ Tanguy Guerineau 87’ Kurt Pienaar The South African women’s team faces Korea tomorrow evening, Thursday, 4 July 2019, in Caserta, Italy at 21h00. The men’s team will face Brazil on Sunday, 7 July 2019 at 18h00 in Benevento, Italy. Posted by Nqobile Gama on 2019-07-03. Source: Napoli 2019 30th Summer Universiade