After the final...

Courtesy: FIFA.com

Charleroi triumph in breathtaking final

(FIFA.com) 02 May 2005

For the first time in their history, and after finishing beaten finalists twice, Action 21 Charleroi have won the UEFA Futsal Cup, although the Belgians were pushed all the way to extra-time before edging past Dinamo Moscow in a breathtaking second leg. The game in Moscow finished 6-6 after extra time, but Action 21 claimed the trophy courtesy of their narrow advantage from the home leg.
Charleroi's 4-3 first leg victory a week earlier in Belgium pointed to the wafer-thin difference between the sides, although no one can honestly have predicted the dramatic end-to-end contest served up to the crowd at the Druschba Hall in Moscow.

Emotional roller-coaster ride
Dinamo were without banned Konstantin Maevski but welcomed back Alexandre Rakhimov from suspension. Sergei Ivanov, rested for the first leg, showed how much his presence meant to the home side after just a minute of play with a powerful drive for the opener. But the Belgian reply was swift and decisive as Alex levelled just a few minutes later. Keepers Pavel Stepanov and Eder Fehrmann both made fine reaction saves in the following period, before Alex completed his brace shortly before the interval, nosing the Belgians in front with a snap shot through Stepanov's legs.

The Russians upped the tempo in the second period and Sergei Malychev hit the bar as the home side threatened an equaliser. Joan eventually brought the scores level and with their tails up, Moscow took a 3-2 lead eight minutes from time courtesy of Olexiy Kudlay, handing Dinamo an aggregate lead in the tie on the away-goals rule.

Charleroi launched a frantic closing assault as they went in search of a goal to rescue the situation and Andre duly blasted home an angled drive to level at 3-3 with six minutes remaining. But just two minutes from time, Ivanov capped a superb display to make the score 4-3 at the end of normal time, causing the tie to go into 10 minutes of extra-time.

Pure drama
The crowd hardly had time to settle before the whirlwind action resumed. Henrique brought the Belgians level on the day, only for Joan to restore the lead immediately. However, the 5-4 scoreline was no longer enough for the home team as Charleroi had by now accumulated more away goals than the Russians a week earlier. Moscow desperately chased a further strike and Sirilo capitalised on excellent build-up play from Ivanov and Pelé to net what looked like the clincher. But with just two minutes remaining, the drama continued as fit-again Kelson popped up to level the aggregate score.

With the clock running down, Dinamo sacrificed keeper Stepanov for an extra outfield player. The do-or-die move had paid off for the Belgians as they squeezed past Boomerang Interviú to reach the final, but it failed to bear fruit for the Russians. Eder guided the ball into an empty net to bring up the final score of 6-6 and give Charleroi the narrowest of winning margins over two evenly matched games.

Joy for Belgian coach
"That was the toughest and most important match of my coaching career, and I'm delighted," Charleroi coach Sergio Benatti said after the extraordinary events of the second leg. "It was hard because Dinamo scored right at the start, and my players have no experience of this sort of intense pressure. Our hopes were raised by our third goal, but I never thought we'd come back after we went 6-4 down in extra-time. It was an unbelievable match, and I'm over the moon for the players, the fans and the club." Action 21 Director of Sport Atabey Aktepe added: "This is a great day for the club. I've experienced every emotion this afternoon, but that's what makes futsal worthwhile."

Moscow boss Yuri Rudnev congratulated his opponents on their tactics: "Our tactics weren't that great, but we applied plenty of pressure, which isn't necessarily how Brazilians like to play. At 6-4 both Pelé and Joan had gilt-edged openings, but when Charleroi scored we were physically and mentally incapable of picking ourselves up again. A big thank-you to our fans, they gave it everything, but Charleroi were just a little too good."




Before the match ...

Courtesy: FIFA.com

Stage set for dramatic showdown

(FIFA.com) 29 Apr 2005

Even the most accomplished soothsayer would be hard pressed to predict the outcome when Dinamo Moscow and Action 21 Charleroi face off in the Russian capital on Saturday in the second leg of the UEFA Futsal Cup Final.
The home side will fancy their chances, as the away goals rule means victory by a score of 1-0, 2-1 or 3-2 would be enough to claim the trophy. Boss Yuri Rudnev's men were 4-1 down at half-time in the away leg, and the trophy looked to be slipping from their grasp, but the Muscovites clawed their way back courtesy of a much-improved defensive display. They finally came away with only the narrowest of deficits to make good in the second meeting.

Rudnev is set to ring the changes for the return match. "It'll be another exceptionally tough game, but I'm happy enough with the going-in position. Losing by a single goal is a decent away performance," he observed.

Dinamo keeper Pavel Stepanov agreed: "We've lost the first match, but now all we need is a victory." Moscow lose Konstantin Maevski to suspension but Alexandre Rakhimov returns after sitting out a ban, and Rudnev is likely to restore Sergei Ivanov, omitted from the first leg in Belgium on fears the Terraflex surface might aggravate an old injury. "Your team has laid on a feast for all lovers of football," commented Russian Football Association President Vitalij Mutko after Dinamo sealed the domestic championship, and a noisy crowd at the Druschba hall will be urging their heroes to add European honours to their trophy haul.

Dismay recedes, confidence returns
"It'll be immensely tough in Moscow," Charleroi coach Sergio Benatti acknowledged, but the Belgians have recovered from their initial dismay at events in the second half last Saturday, and an air of quiet optimism has steadily permeated the camp over the course of the week. "4-3 is a decent result, no matter what anyone says. Obviously we'd rather have won 4 -1, but who knows: if we'd been three goals up, we might not have taken the return seriously enough. As it is, we know we have to be wide awake right from the start," keeper Luca Cragnaz told Belgian daily La Dernière Heure. Cragnaz is unlikely to feature though, with Brazilian team-mate Eder Fehrmann poised to get the nod.

The Charleroi squad arrived in the Russian capital on Thursday lunchtime and set up camp some 25 kilometres from the city centre. The Belgians are desperate to claim their first European title after losing out in both the 2002 and 2003 Finals. "I'm fed up of going home as worthy runners-up. It's time we won the trophy," Cragnaz declared. The Belgians were boosted by the news that key player Kelson should be fit after limping off injured in the first match.

The teams are not the only participants looking forward to Saturday's match. A few weeks ago, 45-year-old referee Pedro Galán Nieto could hardly have dreamed he would round off his career by taking charge of the UEFA Futsal Cup Final. It had appeared highly likely a team from his Spanish homeland would reach the Final, thus removing him from contention. But in the event, Galán Nieto is poised to add another highlight to a long and illustrious career.

"It's the kind of game every official wants to referee. It's the last of my career, and there couldn't be a better way to finish," Galán Nieto told sports daily Marca. "I'm delighted Spanish futsal is to make an appearance in the Final after all."