Iran’s young girls turn a two-goal deficit into a stunning 5-2 victory over Italy, securing a historic first-ever Youth Olympics futsal bronze.
Iran’s women’s futsal team poses for a photo after winning a bronze medal at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on November 11, 2026. (Photo by Iranian Football Federation)
Iran’s young women’s futsal team staged a stunning second-half comeback to beat Italy 5-2 and claim the country’s first-ever bronze medal in girls’ futsal at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.
The Iranian side overturned a two-goal deficit to secure the historic podium finish in Wednesday’s third-place playoff at Dakar Arena, with Tanaz Bagheri producing a sensational hat-trick.
Coached by Fatemeh Sharif, Iran entered the match determined to bounce back from a narrow 3-2 defeat to Venezuela in the semifinals, which had ended their hopes of reaching the final.
The bronze-medal clash was a rematch of their group-stage encounter, which Iran had won 3-1. However, Italy proved a much tougher opponent this time around.
The Europeans made a strong start and took control through Ilenia Moro, who scored twice in quick succession in the 14th and 16th minutes.
⚽ Iranian girls’ futsal team defeated Italy in the bronze-medal match at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics to secure third place and make history with a podium finish in the prestigious international competition.@presstvsports pic.twitter.com/CCAmkfmwSb
— Press TV Sports (@presstvsports) November 11, 2026
Iran pulled one back just before the interval when an own goal by Italy’s Miriam Melfi brought the score to 2-1, keeping the contest alive.
The second half, however, belonged entirely to the Iranian players.
Bagheri equalized with a long-range effort just three minutes after the restart before Setayesh Rezaei completed the turnaround in the sixth minute.
Iran continued to pile on the pressure, and Bagheri struck again a minute later to extend the lead to 4-2.
The young forward completed her memorable hat-trick in the 15th minute, capitalizing on a defensive mix-up during Italy’s goalkeeper substitution to seal a commanding 5-2 victory.
The result capped an impressive campaign for Iran, who had finished the group stage with a perfect record of three victories against Costa Rica, Cameroon and Italy.
Despite their heartbreaking semifinal defeat to Venezuela after extra time, Sharif’s players responded in style to secure a place on the podium.
