Courtesy: UEFA.com


Schumacher shares the credit

Thursday, 4 May 2006

by Paul Saffer

from Madrid


Schumacher has always been a bit of a star man in Futsal. The Brazilian, named after the Germany keeper when as a child he too played in goal and sported curly locks, has appeared in the FIFA Futsal World Cup final for his nation and helped Spanish club Boomerang Interviú win the 2004 UEFA Futsal Cup and dominate the toughest domestic league in Europe. But his heroics last Saturday took his reputation to a new level.

Vital goals
Up against MFK Dinamo Moskva in the home first leg of the UEFA Futsal Cup final, Boomerang had just seen their early lead cancelled out when Schumacher took the ball near goal, bamboozled his marker with fancy footwork and then cut in to power a ferocious shot past Pavel Stepanov. Dinamo rallied to go 3-2 up, but then Boomerang equalised and within seconds Schumacher had headed them into a half-time lead.

Hat-trick complete
But that was not all. For with the advantage at 5-3 and time running out, Schumacher slid in to give Boomerang a commanding 6-3 lead for the second leg, and complete his hat-trick. "The third goal was the most remarkable one," Schumacher told uefa.com. "I know I did a good job, and the team did a good job. Now we have to get the cup in Moscow."

Team effort
Although the 30-year-old Schumacher was hailed as the Boomerang hero after the game, he is uncomfortable with being singled out, appropriate for a player just as well known for his defensive work as his considerable attacking skills. He said: "All the team played really well. To be honest, in the first half Dinamo played better than Boomerang. During the second our defence improved; we were a bit better than Dinamo."

Defensive rearguard
At half-time, with the score at 4-3, most of the 3,800 spectators in the Pabellón Caja Madrid were expecting even more goals in the second half, rather than the solid Boomerang rearguard that shut Dinamo out for the remaining 20 minutes. But then Boomerang coach Jesús Candelas has already masterminded one European triumph and took the club to victory in the last two Intercontinental Futsal Cups, so it is hardly surprising that he was able to make full use of his team-talk.

Candelas team-talk
Schumacher revealed: "The coach said: 'This is the first half, live with the consequences.' He said: 'Listen, take it calm, play on the right side of goal.' Maybe that's why there were less goals." It means Boomerang have every chance of lifting the trophy in Sunday's return but Schumacher knows victory is not guaranteed against a high-class Dinamo side containing several fellow Brazilian exports. He said: "They are a very good team with very good players. They would come second or third in the Spanish league. In Futsal three goals is not a great advantage. It's something, but we can be caught. We have to play with the stance that we can keep a three-goal lead."



Courtesy: UEFA.com

Joan injects Dinamo with energy

Thursday, 4 May 2006

by Paul Saffer

from Madrid

One year ago MFK Dinamo Mosvka staged the second leg of the UEFA Futsal Cup final trailing 4-3 to Action 21 Charleroi. The Russian champions produced a tremendous performance to force extra time, but eventually lost 10-9 on aggregate. Now if they want to go one better they must come back from 6-3 down against Spanish giants Boomerang Interviú.

Optimism
That margin of defeat in Madrid on Saturday was harsh on Dinamo, who conceded the last goal ten seconds from the end. But their players held their own, with impressive performances from the likes of Cirilo, Pelé, and, another man born in Brazil, Joan. The latter has overcome a string of injuries to be Dinamo's joint-top scorer in this competition with eight goals, and despite the loss in Spain he retains an air of optimism.

'Good game to watch'
"It was a very good game to watch," he told uefa.com. "We played against a very good team in Boomerang with very good players from the national teams of Brazil and Spain. We had very good chances but we didn't manage to utilise them. For the second game I guess we will prepare even better and try to do better. We will play in front of our own supporters and we will try to change things in our favour."

Fightback
Dinamo led Boomerang 3-2 just two minutes from the break before a quickfire double from the Intercontinental Futsal Cup holders turned the tide. "Boomerang's fightback was very good," Joan said. "But Boomerang also let their rivals play and give chances to the opposite team. And we were playing against world champions."

Contrast with Charleroi
Joan might just be the man for this situation; last year against Charleroi, with Dinamo having gone 2-1 down at half-time in their home leg, he struck to give his team hope and did so again after they conceded first in the extra ten minutes. And with that experience he is well able to contrast their two final rivals. "Charleroi were an all-Brazilian team, they won because they know each other very well and their shooting was very accurate," Joan said. "Boomerang are a more individualistic team with star players, that is the difference."

Schumacher hat-trick
One of those stars is Joan's international team-mate Schumacher, who completed a hat-trick on Saturday with that last-gasp goal. Joan said: "I have played with him for Brazil. I told the whole team that he is a very dangerous player. He is really good at defence and attack. If we give him space he always will get goals."

Spanish strength
Players like Schumacher are attracted to Spain partly because that nation boasts probably Europe's strongest league - Boomerang are aiming to give the División de Honor its fourth UEFA Futsal Cup in five editions. Russian teams are currently investing heavily in an attempt to catch up, but Joan admits they are not quite there yet.

'Russia getting stronger'
"I guess we don't have as strong a team as Boomerang in Russia, they are very good from a tactical point of view," Joan said. "The Spanish league is one of the world's strongest leagues. Players with big names, famous players. But Russia is getting stronger and stronger each year and we are in the process of putting together good teams also. But can Russia boast European champions come Sunday evening? "We will win this game with the help of our supporters, we will have to do our job - what Boomerang did in Madrid, we will try to do in Moscow."



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