Courtesy: UEFA.com

Dinamo perform at Murcia party

Monday, 30 April 2007

by Paul Saffer

from Murcia

The UEFA Futsal Cup took a step forward with the inaugural final four event last week, so it was appropriate new winners etched their name on the trophy, MFK Dinamo Moskva.

Pula pounces
Four out of the five previous finals had involved one Spanish team - and they won each time. But in Murcia on Saturday, two-time victors Boomerang Interviú were pipped by Dinamo with a last-minute goal from Pula, the Russian champions coming out on top having lost the 2005 and 2006 finals.

Dramatic end
Boomerang had been celebrating a dramatic victory of their own two days before in the semi-finals. Daniel struck in literally the last second to oust hosts ElPozo Murcia FS, who were forced to settle for third place after a penalty shoot-out defeat of Action 21 Charleroi, although the Belgian club impressed with a young team. But Dinamo were deserving winners in the final, shocking Boomerang with a ferocious first-half performance from which they were unfortunate to emerge with no more than a 1-0 advantage.

No extra-time
That was always likely to be a fragile lead, and two minutes from time Boomerang made their late pressure pay through Neto. Daniel nearly struck at the death again, but it was Dinamo's recent signing Pula who prevented extra time, perhaps just as well as the Russian club lost in the additional ten minutes in their first final two years ago against Charleroi.

Rudnev return
Yuri Rudnev stepped down as Dinamo coach after that heartbreak but returned in February, first reviving their Russian league form and then masterminding this triumph. He believes that it was this year that they were truly ready to become European champions, only the second non-Spanish outfit to do so after Charleroi. "The situation has changed compared to two years ago," Rudnev said. "We have been able to improve the team's discipline, their organisation, pressurising, counterattacking and mobility. All these factors have had an effect on today's game."

Brazilian ability
Rudnev has identified their increased Brazilian contingent, including Pula, as an important factor and Pavel Kobzar, who put Dinamo 2-1 up against Charleroi, agrees. Kobzar told uefa.com: "The Brazilian players bring their technical excellence, it is part of their culture. And the Russians provide speed."

Final four
Dinamo's feat received generous applause from the home fans in Murcia, who obviously would rather ElPozo had been victorious. Still, the club proved fine hosts of this experimental event, which was televised throughout Europe, Asia and much of the Americas. UEFA futsal manager Laurent Morel said: "It went pretty well in terms of the standard of the games and the organisation around the games. The arena was good, we were happy with the preparations of the local organisers. There are many positive points, but still a lot of things to work on of course."

Fresh thinking
Among those is increasing the commercial income of the competition, with the long-term aim of introducing prize money for clubs. That possibly means increasing the time the hosts have to organise the event. "Four months is perhaps too short," Morel said. "For sponsorship sales and TV we need six months and next year because of [November's] Futsal EURO we will have that."

Newcomers
There is not long now until the 2007/08 preliminary round, and the number of nations entering this season is creeping ever closer to all 53 UEFA members. "We have good expectations for next season, three or four newcomers or even more," Morel said.



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