Courtesy: UEFA

Gonçalo formidable but finished

Friday, 18 February 2005

A superb hat-trick from Gonçalo moved the Portuguese goal-getter up to second in the race to be top scorer at the 2005 UEFA European Futsal Championship.

In vain

However, the No9's terrific haul in the 5-3 success against Hungary was to be in vain as Portugal were eliminated with the conclusion of the competition's group stage. It means Nando Grana of Italy remains in front on five goals, despite failing to register in the 3-1 success over Spain.

Likely threats

With the semi-finals upon us, the likely threats to the Italy captain are Ukraine's Serhiy Sytin, undoubtedly one of the stars of this tournament, and Spain's trusty campaigner Javi Rodríguez - both are on three goals. Russia's Vladislav Shayakhmetov has the same number but his chances may be hampered by a toe injury.


Courtesy: UEFA

Ukraine not on the wane

Friday, 18 February 2005

By Greg Demetriou in Ostrava

Ukraine's disappointment at not reaching the 2005 UEFA European Futsal Championship final has been tempered by the great strides taken by the nation's top young players.

Student success

Nine of Gennadiy Lysenchuk's side here in the Czech Republic were part of the victorious squad that lifted the trophy at the World University Futsal Championship held in Mallorca, Spain last October. The 16-team tournament featured European rivals like Spain and Portugal - but there was no stopping the Ukrainians who overcame Brazil 3-1 in the final.

Impressive displays

On to Ostrava, and Ukraine's young stars showed they were no flash in the pan. After a tough opening-day defeat by the host nation, Ukraine bounced back to see off the Netherlands and Russia with impressive displays. Although they were beaten by Spain in the last four, Lysenchuk had plenty of reasons to be cheerful - not least the impressive development of Ukraine's Under-21 Player of the Year, Mykhaylo Romanov.

New start

Lysenchuk said: "Ten years ago, Ukraine started with a group of young unknown players who went on to win medals, and now we have the same situation with some great young players coming through. Qualifying for Ostrava was already a success, and getting into the semi-finals a great achievement."

All change

The coach had raised eyebrows when naming his 14-man squad for these finals, leaving out several established players who had helped Ukraine reach the 2001 and 2003 European Championship final. However, he did keep faith with the top scorer from those competitions, the 29-year-old Serhiy Koridze, while the likes of Serhiy Sytin, 22, and 24-year-old goalkeeper Olexiy Popov have continued to progress.

Coach hopeful

Despite the failure to make it third-time lucky here, Lysenchuk was clear he needed a blend of young and old if his team were to develop in the right way. "I hope that Koridze and the other experienced players will carry on playing and pick up more medals and at the same time help our young players come up to the same level. I am sure Romanov can be the new Koridze."

Impressive game

Romanov particularly caught the eye in the final group game, a must-win encounter against Russia. With his side hanging on to a 2-0 advantage, Lysenchuk had no hesitation in turning to his talented 21-year-old. Romanov did not let him down, helping keep Russia back and even rattling the post with a fierce shot.

Going forward

Reflecting on that match, the No2 said: "At 2-0, we were having a difficult time because the Russian attack created a lot of chances and that is when I had to come on. The burning eyes of the others helped me to get into the game. I think we can continue at this level of play and motivation. It is quite clear we are progressing with every game."



Courtesy: UEFA

Lozano looks to the positives

Friday, 18 February 2005

Spain coach Javier Lozano was a relieved man after his side overcame a stuttering start to win 5-0 against Ukraine in today's semi-final from the Czech Republic. His counterpart Gennadiy Lysenchuk was gracious in defeat while acknowledging the match was a game too far for his young team.

Javier Lozano, Spain coach

I think that the match has been won by playing for 40 minutes. At the beginning, we were not playing well at all. They played a very good zonal game so we needed to circulate quickly and precisely. We didn't do either. We improved with the changes and it started from a good defensive position. We recovered and finished playing well. We want to congratulate Ukraine. They are very young but they have given a good performance. [On the difficulty on motivating his players after last December's FIFA Futsal World Championship success] Some of this grey hair you see has just come during this championship. It has been quite hard to motivate the players. We have had lots of awards in the last few weeks and it takes a good job to motivate them. You have to bear in mind that in December, we were at our top level, now we are coming down. It was my task to get them to this point - now it is down to them.

Gennadiy Lysenchuk, Ukraine coach

First of all I would like to congratulate Javier Lozano and the whole Spain team on their win. Yesterday we played a very difficult game against the Russians in order to qualify and we gave too much late at night. Today was a bit to early to get back in shape but we must realise that we lost against the reigning world champions. For our young team this is a good experience. Yesterday the people who saw the two matches were present for a spectacle. Today, neither side could show their best qualities because of the tiredness of their players. The second and third goals are a result of this tiredness and the mental tiredness of our goalkeeper. I thought about changing him but after such a great match yesterday, you don't change the goalkeeper. It is very difficult to play two good matches in two days.