EGCA Odivelas Grand Prix 2025 Tournament was organized by CA Cultural and EGCA in Odivelas, Portugal, from September 5th to 7th. Eight teams from six different countries took part in the competition. The teams were divided into two groups of four. Below is a summary of the tournament’s progress. You can find all results and statistics here.
Group A was won by the Finnish team Old Power, who claimed victory in all three of their matches. Competing in their first-ever EGCA event, Golden Feathers from Portugal managed two wins and, like Old Power advanced to Sunday’s semifinals and medal matches. Spanish side Aragon finished third with one win, while Birmingham GC from Great Britain ended last in the group without points.
Group B was dominated by the host club CA Cultural. Dutch team USV Hercules secured second place in the group and earned a semifinal spot. Danish team BSI defeated Finland’s Aisti Sport 11–10 in the final group stage match, taking third place and pushing Aisti Sport to the bottom of the group.
The Sunday semifinals began with a clash between Old Power and Hercules. Old Power started extremely strong, racing into a 4–0 lead within five minutes. The score was 5–2 to Old Power when Tomi Vesalainen—who had emerged as the team’s star during the tournament—was injured and forced to leave the court. This gave Hercules the chance to come back, and they did just that. In the second half, Hercules tied the match 5–5 with goals from Ronald Klaver. Ultimately, however Old Power’s veteran Mikko Viittala decided the game just 56 seconds before the final whistle, scoring via the post to send the Finns into the final.
The second semifinal between CA Cultural and Golden Feathers was expected to be a heated local derby, but things turned out differently. Resting their top players, Golden Feathers stood no chance against the hosts, who cruised to a crushing 10–0 win.
In the placement match for places 7-8, Aisti Sport managed to beat Birmingham GC 10–9 in a nail-biting encounter. The hero of the match was 18-year-old Eemi Utriainen, the tournament’s top scorer, who netted nine goals to guide Aisti Sport to seventh place.
BSI had a flying start in the 5th–6th place match against Aragon, who were making their EGCA debut, leading 9–2 at one point in the first half. However, Aragon’s attacking weapon Ruben Moreno entered the game and sparked a comeback. Goal by goal, Aragon closed the gap, but in the end, BSI just held on to win a high-scoring 14–13 thriller.
In the bronze medal match, Hercules got off to a strong start as French national team player Audrey Belkhir scored twice early on. Hercules led 4–2 before Golden Feathers rallied, eventually taking a 5–4 halftime lead. The second half again saw Hercules push forward, with Belkhir and Ronald Klaver alternating goals. Golden Feathers, led by Nuno Amade, tried to respond, but Ronald Klaver’s excellent penalty shooting in the final minutes secured the bronze medals for Hercules.
The final was billed as a thriller, especially with Old Power’s Tomi Vesalainen fit to play again. Hosts CA Cultural, seen as favorites, started strong, going up 3–0 within five minutes. Old Power then tightened their defense, and Vesalainen began his scoring display. The halftime score was 3–2 for CA Cultural.
The second half belonged initially to Old Power, as Vesalainen’s shooting was unstoppable. Playing in his first international tournament, he fired Old Power ahead 4–3, then extended it to 5–3 with a penalty. But CA Cultural’s Spanish star Javier Serrato answered with two crucial goals to tie the match with six minutes left. The closing minutes were a thriller, and with just 59 seconds remaining , Vesalainen struck again to put Old Power ahead 6–5. CA Cultural fought desperately for an equalizer and had a golden chance when Old Power’s center Eetu Eronen was penalized for noise during a throw with only 1.5 seconds left. But Eronen redeemed himself with a brilliant save on Serrato’s penalty shot, sealing the victory for the Finns in a breathtaking final.
The tournament’s top scorer award went to Eemi Utriainen of Aisti Sport, who netted an impressive 30 goals in four matches. Second was Old Power’s Tomi Vesalainen with 26 goals, and third was Aragon’s Ruben Moreno with 24.
- We want to thank every player, referee, and volunteer who participated in this fantastic goalball event, as well as CA Cultural’s excellent, tireless, cheerful and helpful organizing team. Once again, this tournament showed the irreplaceable value of the Grand Prix tournaments, offering new players, clubs, referees and officials the chance to make their international debut at low threshold, said EGCA President Erkki Miinala in his speech before the prize ceremony.
Miinala himself also worked tirelessly as a commentator on the livestream broadcasts. Huge thanks also go to commentators Christoph Scholtz, Ana Margarida Capral, Thomas Marques and Bas Spaans, who brought the action and atmosphere of every match to audiences worldwide.
FINAL TOURNAMENT RANKINGS
- Old Power
- CA Cultural
- USV Hercules
- Golden Feathers
- BSI
- Aragon
- Aisti Sport
- Birmingham GC