Courtesy: UEFA.com


Pavicevic cuts Portugal to the quick

Tuesday 26 January 2010

by Pavle Gognidze from Budapest

After beating Russia to reach the last eight, captain Bojan Pavicevic felt Serbia could be more than a match for Portugal, telling uefa.com: "It's just their speed that makes them stand out."

Stunning result
In perhaps the biggest shock result of the UEFA European Futsal Championship to date, Aca Kovacevic's side came back from 2-0 down against highly-rated Russia to win 4-3, claiming top spot in Group C and a quarter-final meeting with Portugal at Budapest's Papp László Arena on Tuesday, while sentencing Russia to face holders Spain in Debrecen.

Speed alone
After that incredible match, Pavicevic felt his side could give Portugal hell, saying: "Russia are a better team than Portugal, possibly second only to Spain in Europe. Portugal are famous for their pace; pretty much it's just their speed that makes them stand out. In all other aspects we can be a match for them."

Soft opener
The 34-year-old captain, a constant source of strength and reassurance for his team-mates with his somewhat idiosyncratic open-handed stance throughout the game, was impressed at the manner in which Serbia recovered from conceding a "soft" first-half goal before the Russians doubled their lead within two minutes of the restart.

'Went for it'
"After they scored the second goal, we started to push more, to press them and it worked," the KMF Marbo Beograd player explained. "If the Russians had scored a third goal, they would just have sat back and saved energy for the quarter-finals, but when it was 2-1, we got ourselves together and just went for it.

Better chances
"Of course, throughout the whole game the Russians had better chances to win," he added. "Thank God they weren't that effective. We took this match as a quarter-final already, because if we had lost we knew Spain were waiting for us. We played 100 per cent and this is what decided the game because we made as many mistakes as the Russians."

'A heroic deed'
Such a fantastic performance can only augur well for the challenges ahead, as Serbia bid to make it to the semi-finals for a first time. "We respect Portugal," he said. "They might be just a step below Russia. Anything can happen in this match; we can lose and we can win. However, what we did against Russia was really a heroic deed."



Courtesy: UEFA.com


Portugal placed in Serbia's sights

Tuesday 26 January 2010

Match preview by Jim Wirth & Nuno Tavares from Budapest

Delighted to be staying in Budapest for Serbia's UEFA European Futsal Championship quarter-final against Portugal, coach Aca Kovacevic is hoping their 4-3 win against Russia augurs well for their next challenge.

Ancient history
Portugal and Serbia – or at least Yugoslavia - last met competitively back in 1995 in qualifying for the first UEFA European Futsal Tournament, with Yugoslavia, featuring a young Kovacevic as their captain, won 7-4 in a game in Turin. The Serbia coach was among the scorers that night, which may have given him quiet reason for confidence ahead of Tuesday's fixture, as his nation aim to reach their first semi-final.

'Something special'
"Portugal are one of the best teams in Europe and it will be the same as the game against Russia; very, very hard," he said. "We have time to prepare though. We will watch the games they have played so far to analyse how they play, and we will have a bit of a rest because it is a very important game for us and we will look to do something special like we did against Russia."

Spain dazzle
The win against Russia was doubly crucial for Serbia, meaning as it did that they avoided a punishing fixture against European champions Spain, who Kovacevic has watched with not a little awe as they demolished Belarus and Portugal in Debrecen-based Group D. "I have been impressed with how Spain have played," he said. "They are playing a new style of futsal and it is definitely not good to play them."

School support
Russia will have that dubious honour instead, and while Serbia's Marko Peric and Vladimir Lazic are within a caution of a one-match ban, spirits are high, with a good contingent of fans – not least those from Budapest's Serbian school, who attended the Russian game – expected for the meeting with Orlando Duarte's side, who have yet to receive a booking in Hungary.

Counterattacking threat
Portugal, semi-finalists at home in 2007, are yet to hit form in Hungary, drawing 5-5 with unfancied Belarus and losing 6-1 to Span, scraping through on goal difference, perhaps missing the injured Ricardinho. Duarte is wary of Serbia, telling uefa.com: "Serbia defend very deep and our team tends to struggle against opponents which pick counterattack as their main weapon. We will have to play it safe, pretty much the same way we did in the first 15 or 16 minutes against Belarus. Serbia have a similar game to Belarus but with much more individual quality. We have been performing reasonably in the first halves our matches but we have to find a solution for the dip in quality in the second periods."



Courtesy: UEFA.com


Spain and Russia set for 'spectacular' tie

Tuesday 26 January 2010

Match preview by David Baño & Paul Saffer from Debrecen

Before the UEFA European Futsal Championship kicked off, Spain and Russia were tipped to meet in the final. But circumstance has dictated that they come face to face in the last eight at 17.30CET today.

Spain dominance
Spain, as expected, topped Group D to ensure they remained in Debrecen, comfortably defeating Belarus 9-1 and Portugal 6-1. Russia booked progress from Group C with a 5-1 win against Slovenia but on Sunday night lost 4-3 to Serbia, meaning second place and a transfer from Budapest to play the holders. Surprisingly, Russia have never beaten Spain over 40 minutes but they did defeat them on penalties in the 1999 final – since when they have lost ten encounters in a row, including the 2005 EURO decider. Spain also overcame Russia to win the first final in 1996 while clubs from these nations have met in the last four UEFA Futsal Cup finals, with two victories each.

'Spectacular'
Despite his side's record against Russia and their irresistible form so far, Spain coach José Venancio López is cautious. "Russia are very difficult opponents," he told uefa.com. "By facing them in the quarter-finals, it means one of the favourites will go out. They are a very experienced team, with fantastic players. I would highlight their quality in passing and in transition from defence to attack. Many of their players have been European champions with their clubs, so they are a very experienced team. It is likely to be a very open game, very spectacular, one of those games that makes you a futsal fan. It's a life or death match."

New task
Russia coach Sergei Skorovich is in his first major tournament but in his role at MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg knows all about taking on Spanish sides in major competitions, having led them to victory against ElPozo Murcia FS in the 2008 UEFA Futsal Cup final but losing at home to Interviú Madrid in the decider last year. "We have the most important match ahead of us, a match which is a result of the way we played [against Serbia]," he said. "Now everything depends on us only. We need to get out of this difficult situation, otherwise all we're worth is a penny."

'Not scared'
Captain Konstantin Maevski is a veteran of the 2005 final in Ostrava and many big Russo-Spanish encounters with MFK Dinamo Moskva. "The Spaniards are a force in every tournament, one of the best teams in the world on par with Brazil," he said. "We are not scared of them and will do everything to progress because we want to show our real face and real strength." The winners will face the Czech Republic in the semi-finals on Thursday.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Training Ground has futsal covered

Tuesday 26 January 2010

The UEFA European Futsal Championship in Hungary has been full of high drama and excitement so far, as we have come to expect from the world's fastest-growing indoor sport and now, thanks to the UEFA Training Ground, you can find out more about one of the quickest games on the planet.

Stellar talents
Brazilian internationals Kaká, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo all honed their extraordinary talents through futsal, a game combining skill, end-to-end action and lots of goals. But what exactly is futsal? This is where the Training Ground is here to help, supplying a detailed guide to the five-a-side sport covering all aspects from the rules to the past, present and future of the game with UEFA Futsal manager Laurent Morel.

Exclusive features
Click here to see exclusive guides and features involving some of the game's biggest names including Spain goalkeeper Luis Amado, Portugal striker Joel Queirós and Russian starlet Cirilo. Meanwhile, coach of two-time UEFA Futsal Cup champions Interviú Boomerang, Jesús Candelas, offers a tactical view on what it takes to achieve futsal success and there is a guide to refereeing by top official Karoly Török.

Big names
The Training Ground now hosts over 280 videos and features exclusive masterclass sessions from big name players such Kaká, Andrea Pirlo, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Petr Čech and Xavi Hernández – among arguably the greatest array of football talent assembled for a learning-based website. Coaches Roy Hodgson and Lars Lagerbäck have also been recruited to help inform and educate players and coaches of all ages and abilities, while Europe's top referees offer guides to rules, regulations and much more – all as part of the most comprehensive guide to skills and tactics on the internet.


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