Courtesy:
UEFA.comRussia rattle five past SloveniaWednesday 20 January 2010Match report by
Jim Wirth from Papp László Arena
Romance was not in the air at the Papp László Arena as Russia's full-timers opened their UEFA European Futsal Championship Group C account with a 5-1 defeat of willing amateurs Slovenia.
Loose clearanceThe architects of their own downfall after four minutes, when Pavel Chistopolov intercepted Alan Pertovt's attempted ball forward, driving it hard back into the Slovenian net, Andrej Dobovicnik's side found the going tough. The goalkeeper atoned for his error with a series of fine saves and blocks, however, as Russia drove forward. Sergei Zuev at the other end had little to do, apart from blocking Rajko Ursic's shot with his legs following a rare Russian defensive lapse.
Double distressThe sky fell in on Slovenia in the 19th minute, Chistopolov tapping home after Pertovt could only push Vladislav Shayakhmetov's long shot onto the post, and within ten seconds it was 3-0, Pula waltzing unsupervised across the edge of the penalty area before picking his spot to perfection. Not long after the break, captain Benjamin Melink smacked a shot into Zuev's side netting on the break; it was a miss Slovenia could ill afford.
Professional jobDamir Khamadiyev made it 4-0, spinning marker Ursic from a clearance to finish when one-one one with Pertovt. With Russia coach Sergei Skorovich resolved to use the full length of his substitutes bench as the game went on, Slovenia landed a counterblow, Ursic cuing up Kristjan Cujec to beat Zuev on 37 minutes after a choppy little one-two. Russia responded in the final minute, Chistopolov's wily touch allowing Shayakhmetov to score; in every sense, a professional job. Slovenia now cannot afford to lose to Serbia on Friday.
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UEFA.comBelarus submerged by superb SpainWednesday 20 January 2010Match report by
Paul Saffer from Fönix Arena
Spain got their bid for a third straight UEFA European Futsal Championship title off to a convincing start against finals debutants Belarus.
Second-half haulAlthough Juanra's early goal was cancelled out by Vladimir Levus, Kike immediately made it 2-1 and in the second half Spain scored seven times, including a Javi Rodríguez hat-trick. They ended with a record margin of victory in any finals match, and Belarus must avoid defeat by Portugal on Friday to stay in the Group D running.
Depleted BelarusThe pre-tournament loss of Vadim Lushkovski, Ilya Gurin, Eduard Bobrov and Vladimir Zhdanovich had increased the already long odds against Belarus and the holders stroked the ball about at will from the off. On three minutes Juanra, who like Álvaro, Daniel, Jordi Torrás and Kike had been an injury doubt, provided a strong finish after being teed up by Borja.
Brief parityKike hit the post but then, out of the blue, Belarus equalised. A corner was played back to Aleksandr Chernik, who laid off for Levus to smash in. Parity lasted less than a minute as, after Daniel had already hit the crossbar, Kike found the target from outside the box. Belarus came more into the game, though nearly fell further behind when Lin muscled his way through the Belarus defence and hit the post.
Pressure tellsNavoichik was in action again early in the second half, taking two attempts to stop Javi Rodríguez's shot. He also tipped over Lin's chip, with Spain maintaining dominance in possession. Seven minutes into the half Navoichik was beaten, unfortunate to see Torrás's low strike roll under his body. Javi Rodríguez then got in on the act, scoring twice in a minute – first after a nice combination with Álvaro, then after cutting in from the left – and promptly rolled the ball to Ortiz to make it 6-1.
Record brokenJuanra finished off a fine long-range one-two with Torrás for the next goal and the new mark was set after Lin struck and Javi Rodríguez completed his hat-trick. Only an unlikely series of results can prevent Spain's passage to the quarter-finals after Sunday's encounter with Portugal.
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UEFA.com'Derby' pressure on Slovenia and SerbiaThursday 21 January 2010Match preview by
Jim Wirth from Budapest
Bloodied but unbowed after a 5-1 defeat against Russia in their opening game, Slovenia are gearing up for what striker Igor Ursic agreed was "a derby" UEFA European Futsal Championship Group C fixture against neighbours Serbia.
Previous meetingThe teams have met only once in top-level competition, Slovenia triumphing 2-1 at home in a FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifier in 2003. But with Serbia knowing a win at the Papp László Arena in Budapest on Friday would take them through and eliminate Slovenia, the history books will go out of the window as the two former Yugoslavian nations meet.
'Like a derby'"It's like a derby," Ursic told uefa.com. "For both teams it is a very important match. We have been preparing all the time just for the game against Serbia. The chances are 50-50. We have a good team and I think the difference between our two teams is not as big as it is with Russia. We will be very competitive and we're looking forward it."
Serbian witnessesSerbia's players were in the crowd for the Group C opener, but Slovenia coach Igor Dobrovnicik was not concerned what they would have made of his side, or the scoreline. "They know what we are about and they will be ready because they know that whoever wins will be in the quarter-finals. It will be different to playing Russia; much more even with many more chances for us to score."
Traveling supportForward Igor Osredkar carried an injury into the tournament, and is unlikely to make the final cut for the Serbia game after feeling the strain on Wednesday, but a big Slovenian following could make up for his absence. The hundred or so Slovenia fans who attended the Russia match made their presence felt, and over 500 are expected on Friday.
'Maybe yes, maybe no'Serbia, meanwhile, will be diving in at the deep end, with no room for error. Coach Aca Kovacevic, whose team impressed at the 2007 finals after an eight-year absence from this level, was unsure whether not playing first would benefit his side. "Maybe yes, maybe no," he said coolly, but added: "We have come here to show we are no longer a surprise package. We want to play futsal at the top level." Game on.
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UEFA.comNew balls please ShayakhmetovThursday 21 January 2010Match review by
Pavle Gognidze &
Jim Wirth from Budapest
The new adidas F50 ball introduced for the UEFA European Futsal Championship has a fan in Russia defender Vladislav Shayakhmetov, who made it sing during his side's 5-1 Group C win against Slovenia in Budapest.
Winning ballShayakhmetov scored the last – and possibly best – of Russia's goals but adopted a shoot-on-sight policy thanks to the new ball, telling uefa.com: "I shot a lot from long distance because the ball is great and it flies very well, so why not shoot from way out? This worked for us today and brought the second goal."
Optimum performanceAhead from the fourth minute, a flurry of two strikes in ten seconds late in the first half helped Russia subdue Slovenia, and the 28-year-old added: "When you are ahead you're more confident. Your opponents start to take risks and come out and play. This is what happened. We got the first goal, then two more; they opened up and here you go: 5-1. This was as good a performance as we could have hoped for."
Skorovich happyRussia coach Sergei Skorovich was not going as far as planning for the quarter-finals, with much hinging on Friday's game between Serbia and Slovenia, but said: "We tried to press and dictate the pace. It's up to the fans to say whether it worked, but I think it did. We created a lot of chances and scored five goals. We will try to improve in quality with each match."
No disgraceDefeat was no disgrace for Slovenia; in a game between professionals and amateurs, they could even be pleased that they managed to score through Kristjan Cujec, albeit once they were 4-0 down. Coach Igor Dobrovicnik, whose team now need a result against Serbia on Friday, underlined the positives, praising "the team spirit and the fact that for three quarters of the match we defended well given that is exceptionally hard for us to play a good side like this Russian team".
Costly missHowever, forward Igor Ursic, who might have made it 1-1 in the first half but for Russia keeper Sergei Zuev's legs, said: "It's such a shame that we conceded those two goals at the end of the first half. Maybe it would have been a bit different if we didn't, but in the end they are clearly stronger and congratulations to them for that. If I had scored with that break in the first half then maybe we would have had a chance."
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UEFA.comSpain bask in glow of new highThursday 21 January 2010Match review by
David Bańo &
Oleg Sokol from Debrecen
Spain are used to setting the standards in this sport and they did so again with their UEFA European Futsal Championship finals record 9-1 defeat of Belarus.
Chances takenIt was only 2-1 at the break but Spain, aiming for a third straight title, struck seven times in the second half to take control of Group D at the expense of the finals debutants. Coach José Venancio López told uefa.com: "The main difference between first and second half was our finishing. In the first half we were not very lucky in the chances we had. Anyway, we always took the initiative throughout the match. We played better than them, we passed well and we were rewarded for our pressing game in the second period."
Kike pleasedSome familiar names were to the fore for Spain as captain Javi Rodríguez struck a hat-trick and Kike added two goals, his first within a minute of the Belarus equaliser. "I think we deserved the victory. Maybe the margin was a bit too much, but the goal difference might be useful and allow us to draw against Portugal [on Sunday] and still come top," Kike said. "I especially enjoyed the teamwork in the second half, where we saw the real Spain and showed we are favourites to win the title."
Energy sappedBelarus now need a result against 2007 semi-finalists Portugal on Friday, but while coach Valeri Dosko was proud of their first-half performance, he conceded that Spain wore them out. "In the first half we were able to defend, sometimes we had good counterattacks," he said. "But at the beginning of the second half Spain started to play faster and we only had the energy to compete for six or seven minutes. I think, that the main reason of the score is a lack of energy, we were losing it with every minute."
'Foolish goal'The key moment was perhaps when Belarus goalkeeper Artur Navoichik misjudged a 28th-minute Jordi Torrás effort from distance that put Spain 3-1. Dosko described it as a "clear mistake", Navoichik adding: "I don't think the third goal was decisive. If we hadn't conceded then, we would have conceded several minutes later. After the fifth goal our heads dropped. I agree with the coach that the third goal was my mistake, especially as the shot was from 14 metres. I wanted to play the ball first, then changed my mind and tried to catch it, in the end I did not succeed in anything. A foolish goal."
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UEFA.comUkraine captain casts eye over rivalsThursday 21 January 2010by
Oleg Sokol from Debrecen
Ukraine's wait to start their UEFA European Futsal Championship ends on Thursday when they meet Group B rivals Belgium in Debrecen, but their delayed arrival in the finals has had a benefit. Captain Valeriy Zamyatin, along with his team-mates, was sat behind the Fönix Arena goal on Tuesday when Belgium lost 4-0 to Italy and had a unique chance to assess Ukraine's opposition in the flesh. He shared his thoughts with uefa.com.
uefa.com: What do you think of your group opponents?Zamyatin: At the start of the game I thought the margin of victory would be much bigger. Before this tournament we saw Belgium on DVDs and they were a better team. Maybe they didn't perform at their best due to having two suspended players. I think that they will do much better against us as they managed to improve in the second half against Italy.
As for Italy, they didn't perform to their peak as their opponents were clearly a weaker side. Still I really enjoyed the performance of some players. Clayton Baptistella is a good example. He is their key player. If we manage to cope with him our task would become easier. Still, compared to the team which reached the EURO final two years ago, this Italian side looks weaker.uefa.com: Who did you like in the Belgium team?Zamyatin: I liked two players – Ahmed Sababti and Yassine Achahbar. Achahbar is good on the ball with very good dribbling skills, while Sababti is full of confidence.uefa.com: Do you like the fact Ukraine are beginning the tournament later than their opponents?Zamyatin: There is definitely something positive about it. We can watch our opponents playing and get some new information. However, I personally would to prefer to play on the first day of the tournament. Still, I would not pay too much attention to this.uefa.com: Two years ago in the finals, Ukraine lost all their games in the group stage. What has been done in order not to repeat the same mistake?Zamyatin: Last time we were in the group of death with Spain, Russia and Serbia. We were competitive against Spain and Russia, but still they were the better teams. As for Serbia we had a chance to win against them although that wouldn't helped us to qualify anyway. Now the draw is much better.Courtesy:
UEFA.comBelgium hope to upset UkraineThursday 21 January 2010Match preview by
Paul Saffer &
Oleg Sokol from Debrecen
Belgium coach Benny Meurs knows his side are up against it as they seek to salvage their UEFA European Futsal Championship hopes against Ukraine on Thursday, though his opposite number Gennadiy Lysenchuk suspects their opponents have been saving themselves for this match.
Opening defeatItaly defeated Meurs's side 4-0 in the Group B opener in Debrecen on Tuesday, and another loss would end Belgium's campaign before some sides have even played their first game in Hungary. Victory would seal progress for Ukraine, along with Italy, regardless of the result when those teams meet on Saturday, and Meurs admitted: "We were bottom seeds and we have to play better teams. Ukraine are as good as Italy, so it will be very difficult for us."
Duo returnThere is some hope for Belgium with the return of Salhi Saad and Jonathan Neukermans from suspension. "Any team who loses a player is handicapped, but the higher the level of the team the easier it is to change a player," Meurs said. "In our team every player is so important, we don't have 15 or 16 players of the same standard. So if one of our best players is out, it makes more of a difference for us than for stronger teams, especially in these sort of games."
Ukrainian experienceUkraine go into the game with one player banned – Mykhaylo Romanov, who scored twice in the 2-2 draw with Romania that confirmed qualification. They surprisingly lost all three games at the 2007 finals but Lysenchuk expects an improvement. "People liked our play in Portugal two years ago, but despite that we finished last in the group," the long-serving coach said. "We have analysed that result and made a conclusion; the mistake was that we had too many young players and not enough experience. That's why we have picked several players aged over 30."
Saving themselvesAiming to match what the Azzurri did and hit Belgium with an early goal, Lysenchuk told uefa.com: "They tried to beat Italy, but when they realised that it was impossible, they did not play at 100%. They knew we were watching from the stands and they had two key players suspended, and that's why they decided to save energy for a decider against us. This game will be crucial for them. They have some good players, especially Ahmed Sababti, who played a lot in the first match. They press well and are solid in defence. We know they will play better against us and we are ready."
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