Courtesy:
People's Daily OnlineSpain to meet Portugal in Euro Futsal January 29, 2010Spain will meet Portugal in the final of the UEFA European Futsal Championships on Saturday.
In the semifinals that took place in Debrecen, on Thursday, Spain beat the Czech Republic 8-1, while Portugal edged out Azerbaijan in a penalty shootout after the game finished 3-3 at the end of normal time.
The first semifinal between Azerbaijan and Portugal was a tense but high-quality affair. Azerbaijan were playing in their first ever final tournament while Portugal were bidding to make it past the semi-final stage for the first time.
The Azeris led 2-1 at half-time, but Portugal went ahead through goals by Joao Matos and Pedro Costa. The Azeris' star striker Biro Jade equalized however with 10 minutes left to bring the game to penalties.
Jade's goal meant he joined Saad Assis of Italy as joint top scorer for the tournament with five goals apiece. Portuguese goalkeeper Bebe then saved a penalty from Thiago to send the Iberians through to the final.
Spain coasted to victory against a Czech side who appeared tired from their exertions in beating Italy in the quarterfinal. Scoring four goals in each half, the Spanish will enter the final as hot favorites to win the 'Iberian derby'. Spain beat Portugal 6-1 in the group stage earlier in the tournament.
The final takes place on Saturday in Debrecen. Azerbaijan will play the Czech Republic in the third place play-off before the final.
Posted by
Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
