Penza State University hosted a meeting between Rector Aleksandr Guliakov and the PSU national football team, which won the All-Russian division of the National Student Football League (NSFL) among juniors in the 2024 season.

PSU Rector Aleksandr Guliakov gathered all the players of the PSU national football team and the coaching staff (head coach Aleksei Shagalin was absent due to his illness) at a round table. The meeting was also attended by Yurii Tikhonov, Director of the Institute of Sport and Physical Training and Gleb Sintsov, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, representatives of the departments of Gymnastics and Sport Games and Cyclic Sports, the Institute of International Cooperation of PSU, and the International Students Association of the Penza Region.

The event began with a viewing of the most striking fragments of the tournament, the decisive goals scored in Yessentuki from November 17 to 24 by the PSU football players, and moments of team triumph. The Penza team won five victories in six matches, beating the team of the North Caucasus Mining and Metallurgical Institute (Vladikavkaz) in a penalty shootout in the final.

The Rector noted that the victory in such a large and prestigious student tournament was a big pleasant surprise for the entire university staff. In his welcoming speech, he noted the role of the coaching staff, the students' hard work and passion for the sports lifestyle:

"Congratulations on your excellent result! You deserved to become champions of the All-Russian tournament. This is a great contribution to the image of Penza State University as a center of not only science and education, but also culture and sports. I believe that several factors contributed to this result. This is your love and dedication to football. This is the contribution of your coaches. And, of course, this is the high level of teamwork. Your victory is a great example for all students! At the same time, I wish you not to forget about your studies. Sports and the educational process should go hand in hand."

Separately, Aleksandr Guliakov emphasized the merits of Maksim Grishakov, student of the Institute of Sport and Physical Training, who was recognized as the best player of the tournament (he scored the most goals - 4), and Ivan Zotkin, student of the Institute of Economics and Administration, who became the best goalkeeper of the tournament. The Rector’s words of gratitude were addressed to international students, players of the team "AIS PSU" Hussein Mohammad Ahmed Samara and Mohamed Khaled Bakr (both from the Institute of International Cooperation), who successfully fit into the team and made their significant contribution to the overall victory.

The University Rector announced that all players and coaches would be awarded for achieving excellent results.

In their response, the team players personally thanked the Rector and the University administration for their support, without which the victory would not have been possible. Coach Anton Simakov (Department of Gymnastics and Sport Games) and team captain Dmitry Chekh (the Institute of Sport and Physical Training) presented Aleksandr Guliakov with an official NFSL tournament ball with autographs of all team members.

Photo report from the meeting is in the official PSU Vkontakte group.