Courtesy: UEFA.com


Athina end wait to join Elite

Saturday 3 October 2009

Athina '90 Athens ended their long wait to progress in the UEFA Futsal Cup as they earned an Elite round place on Saturday in Belgium.

Run ended
In six previous competition entries, Athina have been knocked out in their opening mini-tournament; indeed since the present format was brought in they have departed all three Main rounds without a point. They stretched that losing run to ten games with an opening 4-2 defeat by hosts Action 21 Charleroi, but Athina beat Skövde AIK 11-2 on Thursday to leave themselves only needing a draw with Finland's Golden Futsal Team to finish second in Group 3 on goal difference, and the game duly ended 3-3.

Begajs strikes twice
Gentian Begaj's seventh-minute penalty broke the deadlock for Athina but Teemu Terho equalised and Henrik Henriksson put GFT ahead, as they aimed to emulate FK Nikars Riga in going all the way from the Preliminary round to the last 16. However, Begaj converted another penalty 20 seconds later and in the 12th minute Christos Theodoropoulos made it 3-2 to Athina. Pekka Sihvola levelled in the last minute but it was too late to keep GFT in the competition.

Charleroi win again
Charleroi, winners of the competition in 2004/05, had already clinched first place by beating Athina and GFT, and kept up that run by overcoming eliminated Skövde 10-1. Sebastiano Canaris scored four goals to take his Main round tally to six, currently matched only by SL Benfica's Joel Queirós, and Sébastien Deswijsen managed a hat-trick.

Last places
Charleroi and Athina join Nikars, Benfica, KMN Puntar, Araz Naxçivan, FK Era-Pack Chrudim and seeded teams Interviú Madrid, MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg, ElPozo Murcia FS and AFC Kairat Almaty in the 14 October Elite round draw with the fixtures next month deciding the four eventual finalists in April. Five more sides will complete the lineup when the last Main round mini-tournaments conclude on Sunday.







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