Courtesy: UEFA.com


Sporting claim Portuguese prize

Sporting Clube de Portugal are celebrating their eighth league title after seeing off the challenge of SL Benfica in the Portuguese play-offs.

Late winner
Paulo Fernandes' team, who had already won the domestic cup, were 5-4 winners against their Lisbon rivals in the decisive third game of the series, thanks to Gonçalo Alves winner in the dying seconds. The victory also sealed their place in the 2006/07 UEFA Futsal Cup, a competition in which they have always acquitted themselves well – notably in reaching the semi-finals of the inaugural edition back in 2001/02.

'Fantastic season'
"This is the climax of a fantastic season for us in which we only lost one time in the semi-finals," said Paulo Fernandes. “The supporters were always our sixth player and they deserve the title as well. We all deserve this title but I must say Benfica had a great team. They kept going until the dying minutes of the match.” Equally euphoric was goalkeeper João Benedito although the Portugal No1 was probably playing his last match for the club before moving abroad. "This was the goodbye I wanted," he said.

Benfica tribute
Benfica, who in finishing runners-up in the 2003/04 UEFA Futsal Cup achieved Portugal's best result to date in European competition, were gracious in defeat. Coach Adil Amarante said: "Sporting were a fair winner but we had bad luck because we tied the match with 13 seconds to go and Sporting scored the winner when the ball hit Gonçalo on the back of the head. He was lucky as he was in the right place." Club captain André Lima added: "Sporting deserved the title for what they did during the season. Enjoy this title because we will be back."




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