Courtesy: UEFA.com


Happy coaches thrilled to reach Hungary

Monday 23 March 2009

UEFA European Futsal Championship qualifying finished on Sunday with holders Spain, former winners Italy and Russia, Ukraine, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Belgium, Slovenia and first-time finalists Belarus and Azerbaijan earning berths alongside hosts Hungary in Budapest and Debrecen from 19-30 January, in a showpiece expanded from eight to 12 nations. uefa.com rounds up the reaction from the successful teams; full details of the final set of games can be seen by clicking here.

Alecio, Azerbaijan coach
Our first game against Portugal was very close, but then we relaxed and won against Poland by a small margin. Against Finland we were much better and deserved an easy win.

Valeri Dosko, Belarus coach
Belarussian futsal has been moving towards this success for 15 years. We're all extremely happy, but I think we showed only 50 to 60 per cent of our potential in the Kaunas mini-tournament. We deserved to reach the finals considering our accumulated performances over the years. We have finished as group runners-up many times. It's good that our veterans Vladimir Levus, Aleksandr Savintsev and Sergei Kuznetsov will take part in the European Championship. I hope the Belarus Football Federation will do everything to create the best possible conditions for the build-up process.

Benny Meurs, Belgium coach
We knew we would be able to qualify, although it never is certain it will work out that way. We played three beautiful matches, in different ways. Against Greece and [F.Y.R.] Macedonia we were able to play our game, scoring ten goals with only one conceded, and when you then finally beat a team like Serbia 4-3, you really deserve qualification. Qualification is hugely important for Belgian futsal development, and also for regular football, as I think futsal can be an excellent development programme for football. We played for 2,500 spectators here, a lot of people had not seen the sport before, and were excited, and said they would come again. So this result is certainly important for the development of the sport.

Tomas Neumann, Czech Republic coach
I must appreciate the fighting spirit, which made it possible for us to come from behind in the dying moments [to beat Croatia 4-3 in the decider]. The final game against Croatia was excellent. We were better side in the first half, the visitors outplayed us in the second. We had problems with stamina, it's our weak point. We scored the winner from a perfectly-prepared dead-ball situation, it's very difficult to manage it in those nervous circumstances.

Roberto Menichelli, Italy caretaker coach
We played efficiently, finishing the group with 19 goals scored and only one conceded; a group that also rewarded Belarus as one of the four best runners-up. Now we'll try to arrange training camps and friendlies in order to test other players and to continue a job that is obviously aimed, in the short term, at the UEFA European Futsal Championship in Hungary. The young debutants did well and the goals scored against Lithuania will give these boys further confidence in their own ability. The moment of renewal coincided with peak performances and creates a lot of hope for the future.

Orlando Duarte, Portugal coach
[In beating Poland 8-1 to win their group] we were much closer to our real value and when that happens there are very few teams who can stop us. We don't like to finish second and we had to win this group especially because we played at home. It's still too early to assess our chances at the finals and it's really a pity that the team will only get together again in September.

Sergey Skorovich, Russia coach
I'm pleased with our qualifying round results. There is certain dissatisfaction with our display, but all in all we played soundly and solidly. Don't get fooled by results – we outplayed each opponent. I can say that I have long-term plans with this team.

Predrag Rajic, Serbia player
We had luck [in qualifying as one of the four best runners-up after losing 4-3 to Belgium]. Now, we were really lucky losers. But, I can say that we deserve success. In last qualifying round for the [2008 FIFA Futsal] World Cup we did not have enough luck, now life returns it. We played well, but we lost concentration in the decisive game against Belgium. [The finals] will be great days for Serbian futsal. It is very important when your team is at the highest level, this is a chance for new promotion. In the last one, we finished fifth and we will prepare ourselves for a new, great edition.

Andrej Dobovicnik, Slovenia coach
It is very difficult to find words to describe this moment. Of course, we are all very happy after this big success, which is well deserved. We are looking forward to travelling to Hungary. The players gave their maximum [in the decisive 7-1 win against Montenegro]. They managed to put pressure on our opponents. It would not have been a surprise if we had scored five more goals. Congratulations to the squad.

José Venancio López, Spain coach
We're back to our best level. We were always looking to score right up until the last second because for us it's not just important to win, we want to play the best we can. The team worked hard and sacrificed a lot since the beginning of qualification [preparation] two weeks ago. This is an important step for us.

Gennadiy Lysenchuk, Ukraine coach
Despite a very tense game against Romania we got the result we needed and qualified for the finals. As we expected it was no easy ride. In each match we had to play to our maximum, but luckily the lads were ready for it. Our team played with full concentration, because a place in the final round was at stake. I have no complaints about the players. On the contrary, our young team has time to improve. We'll prepare for the future challenges.






Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com