Courtesy: UEFA.com

Futsal five keep dream alive

Sunday, 21 January 2007

Romania, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Finland and Cyprus have all won through to the main qualifying round after the final day of action in the UEFA European Futsal Championship preliminary round.

Five spots
In all five places were up for grabs. One apiece for the winners of groups A, B and C, while there were also spots in the competition proper for the two best runners-up. The likes of holders Spain now enter the fray next month, and all will have the ultimate hope of taking one of seven places in the November finals in Porto, Portugal.

Gherman treble
Romania were 7-1 winners against Latvia today, thanks in part to a Cosmin Gherman hat-trick, to make it three wins out of three in the Group B mini-tournament they hosted in Deva. Elsewhere, Turkey and Finland both won 5-2 against Armenia and Albania respectively to each secure passage from Group A. Although both qualified teams achieved seven points from their fixtures, Turkey clinched pole position in Vantaa on goal difference from the hosts.

Top two meet
Finally, in Group C, Kazakhstan clinched top spot with a 6-3 victory against Cyprus although both have progressed. The Kazakhs had to come from going a goal behind to make it three wins out of three, largely thanks to a quickfire double from Dlnis Samohvalov, but Cyprus's six points was enough to take them through as well as the second best runners-up. By virtue of an inferior goal difference to Cyprus, Group B's second-placed team Latvia miss out. Group C concluded with Georgia beating hosts Malta 5-2 in a match delayed by a power failure.



Courtesy: UEFA.com

Route to Porto becomes clear

Sunday, 21 January 2007

Having progressed to the UEFA European Futsal Championship qualifying round as the second best preliminary round runners-up, Cyprus face a daunting mini-tournament against holders Spain as the seven teams to join hosts Portugal in the finals are decided next month.

Spanish test
Cyprus, who finished behind Kazakhstan in preliminary round Group C today, will play from 22-25 February in Spain, with Poland and F.Y.R. Macedonia also in the running. Finland, the best runners-up, take on home team the Netherlands, Serbia and Azerbaijan in Group D for the available place in Porto from 16-25 November, the last final tournament before the expansion to 12 teams in 2009.

Group winners
Turkey, winners of preliminary round Group A, have the dubious reward of a trip to Italy, who won this competition in 2003 and lost to Spain in the next year's FIFA Futsal World Cup. First in Group B, Romania take on Slovenia, Belgium and Moldova in a pool guaranteed to produce a qualifier that did not play in the 2005 finals in Ostrava, while the hosts that year are in Group C against the winners of the preliminary round pool of the same name, Kazakhstan, home team Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Russia meet Hungary
Two mini-tournaments had their make-up confirmed before the preliminary round. The first to begin will be Group F on 20 February, involving 2005 runners-up Russia meeting hosts Hungary - who qualified for the first time in the last edition - Greece and Lithuania. Group B, in contrast, will end the round when it concludes on 1 March. Andorra are at home to two-time runners-up Ukraine, Slovakia and Israel.



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