Courtesy: UEFA.com


Venancio López hails new high

Sunday 24 January 2010

Match review by David Baño, Nuno Tavares & Paul Saffer from Debrecen

Spain set high standards in futsal but after their 6-1 defeat of Portugal on Sunday night coach José Venancio López suggested they are improving even further.

Second win
On Wednesday, holders Spain opened the UEFA European Futsal Championship with a finals record 9-1 win against Belarus, who two nights later held Portugal 5-5. Spain trailed their neighbours early on in Debrecen but were ahead by half-time and by the end had produced their biggest win against Portugal since 1997.

For the fans
"Just like four days ago, we had a great match," Venancio López told uefa.com. "This is very difficult to achieve. The final result is maybe more than the current difference between Portugal and Spain. We can't deny that we played better today, we were able to set a very high pace. We not only try to win, but we also try to help develop this sport and also to make it nice for the fans."

Nerves overcome
Venancio López, whose team face old rivals Russia in the quarter-finals in Debrecen on Sunday, pointed out that Spain did not have everything their own way. "The first half was quite even, because they opened the scoring with their first chance," he said. "That made is nervous and unsettled our play, we rushed things. We then had great second half. We played much better than them. We created many chances and hence the scoreline."

Heavy defeat
Despite the loss Portugal went through to the quarter-finals on goal difference ahead of Belarus and travel to Budapest to play Serbia. Defender Gonçalo Alves said: "We managed to go though to the quarter-finals, which was the most important thing, but of course we are not happy with the outcome of this match. Nowadays Portugal shouldn't lose 6-1 against Spain. Maybe that happened ten years ago but not now. We played several games against them in recent years and never with this kind of result. That said, the strongest feeling right now is sadness with just a bit of satisfaction due to the fact we qualified."

Set-play slips
Coach Orlando Duarte mused: "We thought we were ready for Spain's set plays, but we made mistakes that you shouldn't make at this level. At a corner, a player left the pitch to be substituted, you should never do that. Our worst moment was after we went 4-1 down, we don't usually concede goals from 15 metres, but at that stage we lost concentration, and at this level it costs you." But he added: "Maybe we can reach the final and play Spain, then it would be a different story."






Courtesy: UEFA.com


Serbia sleep, perchance to dream

Sunday 24 January 2010

Match review by Jim Wirth & Pavle Gognidze from Budapest

Coach Aca Kovacevic said there would be no celebrations after Serbia's shock 4-3 win against Russia, sending his players to bed early to prepare for "the most important match of our careers" against Portugal on Tuesday.

Stunning turnaround
Having gone 2-0 down early in the second half, Serbia turned the UEFA European Futsal Championship Group C decider on its head with three goals in the space of two minutes, going on to win 4-3 to earn a crack at Portugal in the quarter-finals at the Papp László Arena – and a real chance to make it to the last four of the competition for the first time.

Early night
Admitting he was almost as pleased about avoiding Spain as he was about beating the Russians, Kovacevic said: "Tonight I will be sending the players to bed very early because the next match will be the most important match of our careers; we have a very good chance to make it to the semi-finals and we do not want to let that opportunity go to waste."

Satisfying success
With his side having gone down to Russia in the 2007 finals and in qualifying for the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup, the coach added: "We had no shortage of motivation having lost both of our recent high-profile games against Russia. Now we have our revenge. We knew our players would give 100 per cent and the result is that we have beaten one of the favourites for the title.

Aggressive response
"I told them at half-time that they had to be more aggressive and press them harder," continued the coach. "It is the only way to win against Russia because if you let them control the ball you have a big problem. After the Slovenia game I told the players that I believe this team can do better in this tournament than we did in the last EURO. Today we proved we really can."

Skorovich irate
Russia coach Sergei Skorovich laid into his vanquished team after the match. "Some players thought that the result was sealed at 2-0 and stopped playing," he growled. "Futsal, like Hungary and the Czechs showed last night, can change completely in seconds. We warned the lads but a classy team cannot afford to finish a match like this."

Maevski contrite
Captain Konstantin Maevski could only agree, telling uefa.com: "We committed very grave mistakes which led to the defeat. We did not lose belief when we were 4-2 down, but when you concede so many goals in such short period of time, a lot of things break down game-wise. We may have had the belief, but we did not deserve the draw."





Courtesy: UEFA.com


Prolific Spain put on another show

Sunday 24 January 2010

Match report by Paul Saffer from Fönix Arena

Spain clinched UEFA European Futsal Championship Group D in fine style with a comeback win against Portugal, who nonetheless join the holders in the quarter-finals at the expense of Belarus.

Emphatic result
Portugal took the lead early on but Spain were ahead by the break and continued their domination in the second half to follow up their record 9-1 defeat of Belarus with another emphatic result. Having been held 5-5 by Belarus, Portugal pip that side on goal difference to second place and will travel to Budapest for a tie with Group C winners Serbia on Tuesday, with Spain remaining here in Debrecen to face old rivals Russia.

Portugal ahead
From the start, the three local drummers in the stand beat out a rhythm that was matched by the metronomic precision of the Spanish passing, yet Portugal scored first. Arnaldo's low free-kick from distance did not seem likely to trouble Luis Amado, but the Spain goalkeeper was unsighted by Leitão until late and allowed the ball to trickle under his body.

Torrás double
The holders, spurred on by an impressive turnout of fans, looked concerned but stayed on the offensive and a clever set-piece levelled the scores, Kike's lofted kick-in from the right volleyed in by Jordi Torrás. Spain then went ahead from a free-kick, Juanra feeding Daniel to centre from the left. Gonçalo Alves intercepted but was robbed by Torrás, who shot into an empty net.

Spain show
Portugal seemed set to level early in the second half as Cardinal broke through but he hit the post. That proved costly as a couple of minutes later, Ortiz won the ball in the Spain half, broke and fed Juanra wide to finish with aplomb. Kike was next on the scoresheet, his long-range effort giving goalkeeper João Benedito no chance. Fernandao, who had been an injury doubt, produced a similar shot to make it 5-1. Daniel fed Lin for a sixth Spain goal and the Belarus players watching from the stands maybe dreamed of an unlikely salvation, but Portugal held out.





Courtesy: UEFA.com


Swish Serbia steal Russian thunder

Sunday 24 January 2010

Match report by Jim Wirth from Papp László Arena

Serbia will stay in Budapest for a quarter-final meeting with Portugal, after overturning a 2-0 deficit – and the UEFA European Futsal Championship formbook – to beat Russia 4-3 at the Papp László Arena.

Serbia top
Russia needed only a draw to top Group C and avoid holders Spain in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. But Serbia's comeback means they stay in Budapest to play Group D runners-up Portugal and Russia must travel to Debrecen to take on Spain.

Fouls total
Konstantin Maevski and Aleksandr Fukin forced Vladimir Ranisavljevic to make diving saves as Russia assumed command early on. Possesion, however, is only nine tenths of futsal law, and Vidan Bojovic passed up a fine chance on the break. Pula smacked a shot against the post from distance before testing Ranisavlejic with another raking drive as Serbia's fouls total rose ominously.

Penalty misses
Compelled to keep it clean after conceding a fifth eighth minutes from the break, Bojovic's challenge on Cirilo prompted a double penalty which Konstantin Timoschenkov hit wide. Pavel Chistopolov was not so generous, arrowing home from the left on 17 minutes, but while Pula conceded another spot-kick with ten seconds left, Slobodan Rajcevic drove against the frame.

Driving seat
Cirilo set up Maevski – Russian futsal's Andrei Arshavin – to slip the ball through Ranisavljević's legs and home within two minutes of the restart, leaving the unenviable prospect of a quarter-final meeting with Spain at the Fönix Arena on Tuesday looming a little larger for Aca Kovacevic's side. However, three goals in the space of two minutes put them in the driving seat.

Sea change
First Bojan Pavicevic fired home after Zeljko Borojevic rolled Marko Peric's corner into his path, and Russian-based Peric then intercepted in his own half, racing through unchaperoned to beat Sergei Zuev. Vladimir Lazic then wrangled Mladen Kocic's ball from the left touchline home. Kocic then muscled Maevski off the ball, surging through to beat Zuev at the second attempt to make it 4-2, but Peric nudged past his own goalkeeper from close range after miscuing at Chistopolov's ball across the box to set up a breathless finish.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


End of the road for fallen nations

Monday 25 January 2010

by Jim Wirth & Paul Saffer from Budapest & Debrecen

After six days' intense action at the UEFA European Futsal Championship, the tournament is now into its knockout phase – meaning the departure of four teams from the group stage.

Eliminated quartet
The expansion of the finals from eight to 12 teams created a new format of four groups of three, meaning sides had to be into gear quickly if they wished to avoid an early exit. Hosts Hungary, Belgium, Slovenia and debutants Belarus are the four nations whose campaigns are over, but all made their contributions to the tournament.

Hosts fall
Hungary lost their opener 3-1 to dark horses Azerbaijan, but could still have progressed if they had drawn with the Czech Republic. A packed crowd of 7,000 at the Papp László Arena roared Hungary into a 4-0 lead but, deploying a flying goalkeeper, the Czechs roared back to lead. Zsolt Gyurcsányi equalised, only for Hungary to fall to another Czech strike 19 seconds from time.

Kozma commitment
Shaken by the experience, Mihály Kozma – who also led Hungary in their previous finals five years ago – insisted: "This was not the end of an era in Hungarian futsal. A few players will retire but our goal was to find young, talented players, and we have found Zoltán Dróth in recent months. We have a future. I won't resign."

Belarus thriller
Another side were involved in a memorable final game as Belarus, having lost 9-1 to Spain in their opener, came back from two down to lead Portugal 4-2. A huge upset was on the cards but Portugal were soon 5-4 up, and although in the final second Belarus equalised, their goal difference did for them. Aleksei Popov scored a brilliant hat-trick against Portugal, capped with his last-second double-penalty equaliser, and told uefa.com: "For the older players it was a last game at this level, so everybody was performing as if it was the last battle. In general, I can't say that we performed well or badly. We were average."

Belgian inexperience
Slovenia and Belgium both ended seven-year absences from these finals, but neither secured a point. Belgium lost 4-0 to Italy and 4-2 to Uraine in a tough group but coach Benjamin Meurs pointed out: "The Italy coach said this tournament was important for them because they have six players who were here for the first time – we have 12! What can we say about experience then? We have a good team, we try to play beautiful futsal in all senses."

Slovenia look ahead
Defeated 5-1 by Russia and 2-0 against Serbia, Slovenia found the gap between amateurs and professionals too big despite the presence of several hundred travelling fans in Budapest. Coach Andrej Dobovničik also rued Gaspar Vrhovec's absence through injury. "We have to go home and look ahead to the next championship," said the coach. "Some players will probably end their national-team careers at this point so they are more disappointed than most. The positives are that we have more experience."




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