All articles posted below are courtesy: UEFA.com


Rafael concedes Kairat's European weakness

Saturday 25 April 2009

by David Baño & Paul Saffer from Ekaterinburg

For the second year running, Kairat Almaty are contemplating a UEFA Futsal Cup third-place play-off against MFK Dinamo after falling in the semi-finals, and one of their strong Brazilian contingent, Rafael, mused on the reasons for their 5-0 defeat by Interviú Madrid.

Defeat
The Spanish side were ahead in the second minute and 3-0 up at the break, and although Rafael especially made Interviú goalkeeper Luis Amado work hard at the Ekaterinburg Palace of Sport, a third semi-final defeat in four years was Kairat's fate. Rafael, also part of last year's 4-1 reverse against eventual winners MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg in Moscow, conceded that Interviú were too strong for them.

'Interviú were stronger'
"We missed our first three chances, but we played against a great team with a lot of quality players," Rafael told uefa.com. "They did not let us play at the pace we wanted. Despite the 5-0 scoreline, we never gave up, we carried on playing till the end, but today we have to admit that Interviú were a stronger team. Now we have to keep our chins up and prepare well for the next match."

Domestic dominance
Whereas Spain and Russia both boast extremely competitive professional futsal leagues, Kairat this season had only four opponents in the Kazakhstan league, which they comfortably won for the sixth year in succession to book a 2009/10 European place. Rafael is more than aware that Kairat are having to bridge a gulf when they play in this competition.

Lessons
"Our team have learnt a lot from the last two Futsal Cups, and now our objective is to finish third in the competition," the 26-year-old said. "It is obvious that our domestic league still is not competitive enough. We have won it for the last six seasons, but it is not the same standard. In Spain, Interviú play tough matches every weekend, whereas we only have two or three competitive teams in our league, so the main difference is clear."




Schumacher's hunger whetted by latest success

Saturday 25 April 2009

by David Baño & Paul Saffer from Ekaterinburg

On Sunday, Interviú Madrid will bid for an unprecedented third UEFA Futsal Cup triumph and one of three players to remain from both previous final victories, Schumacher, was delighted after their last-four defeat of Kairat Almaty.

Kairat defeated
Schumacher's two early goals were the key to the Spanish side's 5-0 win at the Ekaterinburg Palace of Sport on Friday night, taking them into their fourth final in six year. The Brazilian, like goalkeeper Luis Amado and Spanish international Daniel, helped Interviú to victory in 2004 and 2006, before losing the 2007 final to MFK Dinamo Moskva, and Schumacher praised the efforts of the squad in overcoming Kairat.

Team effort
"We started very well against Kairat," Schumacher told uefa.com. "Everybody was concentrating hard on what they had to do and everybody did what they had to do at such a game. Then, in the second half, we slowed down a bit, but most important thing is to have qualified for the final. We have reached the final thanks to the efforts of the whole team, and all the players performed really well."

Final experience
The 33-year-old is no stranger to the big occasion – this season alone he has helped Brazil win the FIFA Futsal World Cup and Interviú lift the Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup. "This is going to be my fourth European final, with two victories behind us and one final that we lost in Murcia against Dinamo," Schumacher said. "In addition, we have already played two finals in domestic competition this year, and this Sunday we will play our third final this season, and I really hope we will win it. We have a good enough squad to achieve it and I am convinced it will be a very attractive match."

'Beautiful challenge'
He added that his club's many past successes have not dampened their enthusiasm to keep on winning. "Every player in this team, with so many internationals, always goes on to the pitch to win and to do his best," Schumacher said. "We have a great squad, with players who have won everything at both club and national level, but we are all still very motivated to win as we have a beautiful challenge ahead of us, and this team is ready to win."




Mokhov reveals secret behind semi-final stunner

Saturday 25 April 2009

by Eugene Ravdin & Paul Saffer from Ekaterinburg

MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg coach Sergei Skorovich called it "a crowning futsal creation". And Aleksei Mokhov, whose acrobatic volley set Ekaterinburg on their way to a 2-0 UEFA Futsal Cup semi-final defeat of MFK Dinamo Moskva last night, explained it was no fluke.

Stunning goal
The all-Russian tie was still goalless five minutes from time when Konstantin Timoschenkov sent in a cross from the left and to the delight of the capacity Ekaterinburg Palace of Sport crowd, Mokhov twisted his body in the air and hooked the ball past stunned Dinamo goalkeeper Alexey Popov. A minute later Pavel Chistopolov added a second, and hosts Ekaterinburg ensured they would have a chance to defend their European title in Sunday's final with Interviú Madrid.

Perfect timing
Mokhov, whose only other appearance on a UEFA Futsal Cup scoresheet was with his own goal in last year's 4-1 semi-final win against Kairat Almaty, revealed the work that went into his memorable strike. "We had tried it before but I just could not hit the net with that shot in training," he told uefa.com. "Today I exchanged glances with Kostya and understood what we were going to do. He provided me with a great ball and luckily I managed to hit it properly."

Tension
Prior to the goal the match had been as tight as expected between two teams who had already met six times in domestic competition this year, Ekaterinburg securing three victories and a draw in the league but Dinamo winning the Russian Cup final over two legs earlier this month. "The game was very tense," Mokhov said. "We were totally up for it and there was so many spectators. Besides the score was stuck at 0-0 for a long time, nobody could take the lead and we all waited for the breakthrough. We were afraid about making a mistake but in the end we were lucky enough to score and then to double the lead."

Zuev heroics
The fact that the game was still level when Mokhov scored had more than a little to do with Ekaterinburg goalkeeper Sergei Zuev, who had already proved the hero in last year's final penalty shoot-out win against ElPozo Murcia FS. "In my opinion Sergei Zuev is the best goalkeeper in the world," Mokhov said. "This year he has carried us on his shoulders in so many games, saved us plenty of times. There were two moments today too when he snatched the ball out of an empty net."

Unforgettable moments
Then came the end. "The minutes after the final whistle were unforgettable and that is what I like about futsal," Mokhov added. "Besides, we were defeated by Dinamo in the cup final and we wanted to make amends in front of our fans. It is cool that we have reached the UEFA Futsal Cup final for the second year in a row."




Dinamo and Kairat bid for bronze again

Sunday 26 April 2009

Match preview by Paul Saffer from Ekaterinburg

Twelve months ago, MFK Dinamo Moskva defeated Kairat Almaty 5-0 to take third place in the UEFA Futsal Cup. Those sides meet again for the same prize on Sunday in Ekaterinburg.

Semi-final losses
Last year Dinamo were staging the finals as defending champions, but it was against this season's holders and hosts, MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg, that the Moscow side lost 2-0 on Friday night in an all-Russian encounter. Immediately before that game, Kairat had been overwhelmed 5-0 by Spain's Interviú Madrid to follow previous semi-final defeats by Dinamo in 2006 and Ekaterinburg last year.

Rudnev reflects
Dinamo, who reached three consecutive finals from 2004 before taking the trophy at the third attempt, were disappointed not to make it that far this time. They conceded twice in the last five minutes against Ekaterinburg, a game in which they were the better side in the second half, kept out only by a superb goalkeeping display by Sergei Zuev, before the hosts struck. "We did not play to the level we should have," said Dinamo coach Yuri Rudnev. "Yes, their goalkeeper had a great match but it was us that played a poor one."

European return
Rudnev's side, who will be without the suspended Joan on Sunday, will only be back for a seventh consecutive UEFA Futsal Cup campaign next season if they overhaul Ekaterinburg's nine-point Russian Super League lead, or if Viz beat Interviú and Dinamo are domestic runners-up behind their rivals. Kairat will definitely return in 2009/10, having clinched their sixth straight Kazakhstan title, but coach João Carlos Barbosa admits their dominance at home is a double-edged sword when it comes to entering European competition.

Improvement
"We need to prepare to perform at a higher level," Barbosa said. "In our league only two or three teams are really competitive so we need to improve our standard, maybe with a longer preparation period against other international clubs."




Bácaro grateful for new lease of life

Sunday 26 April 2009

by David Baño from Ekaterinburg

A year ago, Vinicius Bácaro was on the ElPozo Murcia FS side that lost the UEFA Futsal Cup final on penalties to MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg in Moscow. Twelve months on, he is back in Russia with a new club – Interviú Madrid – facing the same opponents for the same prize. But much has changed in that time for the Brazilian-born Italian international.

New perspective
Just before he would have been travelling to the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil in October, Bacaro underwent knee surgery, and indeed only in the last couple of months has he been able to really make an impact at Interviú, who he joined in the summer from their Spanish rivals. Bacaro, who claimed the winning goal for Italy in the 2003 UEFA European Futsal Championship final, showed he had not lost his knack for important strikes when completing the scoring in Interviú's 5-0 win against Kairat Almaty on Friday night, but he admitted that his perspective on life and sport have been altered for good by his injury.

Life changed
"I'm a different person today," Bacaro told uefa.com. "My life completely changed the day I had my knee surgery. I became a more patient person, more tolerant as well. It's a moment that you can't share with anybody, only you go through it and experience it. It made me rethink my life, about the way I was living and about the plans I could have. It has made me start studying again. It has made me read a lot again. It really opened my mind. I started meeting different people.

Stronger person
"I feel I have become a stronger and a better person. It goes beyond the goal I have scored tonight, it is all the things I have gone through this year. It is about being able to take the stairs without being worried, about driving a car, about having a walk in the evening. It has made me see that time heals everything and puts everything on the place it needs to be."

At peace
Therefore the semi-final strike against Kairat was special, as victory would be against hosts Ekaterinburg in the decider today, but Bacaro needed to marshal all his mental strength to even make it through Friday's game. "Keeping my focus was the key for me to score that goal, to carry on fighting all the time and wait for my chance to come," the 30-year-old said. "Six months ago I did not even know if I could ever play again and now I've been able to play and score a goal. Today I am a new man. I have also learnt about loneliness. Some people can be very lonely even if they are surrounded by many friends. Now I am able to be lonely and quiet. I am a more calm person after the last six months. I feel more in peace and it has made me think and reconsider my future. I can now see that there is a lot more to life than futsal."




Watch the Futsal Cup final live on uefa.com

Sunday 26 April 2009

uefa.com will be streaming the UEFA Futsal Cup final live from Russia on Sunday, with hosts MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg defending their title against two-time winners Interviú Madrid, preceded by the third-place match. Click here to access the video service.

Free to view
Alongside television coverage provided by Eurosport and other UEFA broadcast partners, uefa.com is streaming games from the Ekaterinburg Palace of Sport. Live match will be available on a free-to-view basis in certain territories in the Americas (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Paraguay, the United States and Uruguay) and Asia (China, Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia), while elsewhere live coverage will be pay-per-view.

Schedule
Today's action begins at 14.30CET (18.30 local time) as MFK Dinamo Moskva meet Kairat Almaty for third place, just as they did last year. That is followed at 17.00CET (21.00 local time) with the final between Ekaterinburg and Interviú.

Premium video
Full subscribers to uefa.com's premium video service (uefa.com/video) will also be able to access extensive delayed coverage including in-match event clips, full match reruns and ten-minute highlights from all four games.




European title on the line in Ekaterinburg

Sunday 26 April 2009

Match preview by Paul Saffer, Eugene Ravdin & David Baño from Ekaterinburg

MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg and Interviú Madrid meet in the UEFA Futsal Cup final on Sunday and both clubs know what it takes to be European champions.

Record bid
Ekaterinburg took the title on their competition debut last season and are staging these finals, beating Russian rivals MFK Dinamo Moskva 2-0 on Friday to delight a sell-out crowd in the Palace of Sport. Interviú, meanwhile, are bidding to become the tournament's first three-time winners and have already reached an unprecedented fourth final by defeating Kairat Almaty 5-0, having been victorious in 2004 and 2006 but losing to Dinamo two years ago.

'World-class players'
Only once in the competition's eight-year history has a side lifted the trophy in front of their own fans, Spain's Playas de Castellón FS under the former two-legged format in 2003, which was also the sole successful defence of the cup to date. Along with Dmitry Prudnikov's absence with a broken ankle, Ekaterinburg have Andrey Afanas'ev suspended, but proved they could beat Spanish opposition when they overcame ElPozo Murcia FS 3-2 on penalties in last year's final in Moscow following a thrilling 4-4 draw. "We realise all too well that we will meet a very strong team with plenty of world-class players," home coach Sergei Skorovich said. "But on the pitch everyone is equal and it is men that play, not their names."

Mokhov warning
Aleksei Mokhov, whose spectacular 35th-minute goal set Ekaterinburg on their way to semi-final victory, watched the first half of Interviú's defeat of Kairat and told uefa.com: "They have exceptional pivots in Schumacher and Betão and it will be very hard to defend against them. But all their side is strong since anyone can beat you one on one and they fight very well at the back too. They are good team but we will do our best to play decently against them. We can do that by performing as a team and battling until the very last second."

Alonso 'dream'
Interviú were coached in their previous finals by Jesús Candelas, but this season they are led by his 33-year-old former assistant Juan Luis Alonso. "On a personal level, after you start coaching it is a dream to be involved in such matches," Alonso said. "I am lucky to be part of this great show and to be surrounded by the quality players I have."

Organisation
Alonso, who agrees with Skorovich that either his goalkeeper Luis Amado or Ekaterinburg's Sergei Zuev could well be the match-winner, added of the hosts: "They are a very strong and physical team, they are very good defensively and I'm sure we will see a great final. Ekaterinburg have an extremely organised defense, they play at a very high pace. They rotate their players very often and their players are very strong and fast."

'Beautiful show'
The match will be live on Eurosport and streamed by uefa.com, and Alonso added: "I hope the fans enjoy the match, as I'm sure it will be a beautiful show. I hope many people will be able to see it as I'm sure that even non-futsal fans would be converted after watching matches like the one they will see on Sunday."







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