While Spain had beaten their 2019 and 2022 final opponents Portugal in the semi-finals at the Fönix Arena on Friday (March 17), Ukraine edged out hosts Hungary to make the final for the first time.

Spain had beaten Ukraine 9-0 in the semi-final of the last tournament in Portuguese municipality Gondomar and, while the scoreline was more respectable this time, the gulf in class between the two sides remained apparent.

It took Peque just 13 seconds to score the fastest goal in finals history after Iryna Dubytska had fouled Deny for a penalty.

Spain increased their lead when Irene Samper’s shot was deflected in by Taisiia Babenko and, just before the interval, Ale de Paz made it three on the break with a strong finish, becoming the first player to score in two finals. 

It took twice as long to score at the start of the second half as they had in the first, Semper converting 26 seconds after the restart.

Anna Shulha pulled one back for Ukraine before Dany added a fifth.

"We're very happy with this win and even more so because recent years haven't been easy," Spain’s coach Clàudia Pons said.

"We worked so hard in the last year, and this is the result of all that effort.

"I'm very proud of my players because they are always focused and never satisfied."

Ukraine’s captain Iuliia Forsiuk was happy with her team’s performance, especially coming at a time when so much else is happening back home.

"We're very happy: we've made history for Ukrainian women's futsal in making this final," she said.

"To achieve this makes a dream I had as a little girl come true.

"We've put years of hard work into getting this far, and hopefully we've made many people happy today."

Earlier, Portugal bounced back from the disappointment of their loss to Spain, the two-time runners-up defeating the hosts 12-0 for the bronze medal.