Courtesy:
UEFA.comBratislava and Chorzów throughThursday 13 September 2007Slov-Matic Fofo Bratislava and Clearex Chorzów survived scares to reach the UEFA Futsal Cup Elite round tonight while things are looking good for CIP Deva, SK Energia and SL Benfica.
Bratislava prevailBratislava were involved in the game of the day with Main round Group 3 hosts Araz Naxçivan in Azerbaijan. While Luparense Calcio A5 had already beaten both teams to seal first place, and defeated FC Camelot Chisnau 8-0 to celebrate, Bratislava only led Araz on goal difference at kick-off. Rizvan Farzaliyev put Araz ahead on nine minutes but Voitech Várady swiftly levelled. It seemed things were going Araz's way when Vitaliy Borisov struck on 22 and 30 minutes, but Várady pulled one back. With three minutes left Gabriel Bartošek equalised to put Bratislava back in provisional second place and Peter Ha¾ko sealed a 4-3 win in the final seconds to take the Slovakian champions into Tuesday's Elite round draw.
Chorzów join HapoelThere they will be joined by Group 1 hosts Chorzów. In a group reduced to three teams by KMF Alfa Parf Skopje's withdrawal, Hapoel Ironi Rishon Lezion had beaten FC Mapid Minsk 7-3 and then sealed their place despite losing 3-1 to Chorzów on Tuesday. And oddly Chorzów also went through with a defeat as their 4-3 reverse against Mapid kept them ahead of the Belarussian team on goal difference, with the Israeli side in first after all the top three finished level. Group 6 also finished today but Czech hosts FK Era-Pack Chrudim and KMF Marbo Beograd were already through. Chrudim's 4-1 defeat of Beograd sealed first place while Sweden's Skövde AIK defeated Ilves FS Tampere of Finland 6-3 for the consolation of third place.
Deva aheadWhen Group 5 started on Wednesday, both games were drawn 2-2 but there was a positive result today. It came from Romanian champions CIP Deva, who went 2-0 up after six minutes against Iberia 2003 Tbilisi and although Rudolpho Da Costa scored twice to equalise and another Deva lead was cancelled out before the break they sealed a 4-3 win on 27 minutes. Slovenia’s KMN Puntar twice trailed by two goals but fought back to draw 3-3 with hosts HMNK Gospiæ, Gaj Rosiè levelling with his second of the game. In Saturday's decider, with every team in with a chance, Iberia must defeat Puntar and Deva need only a point against Gospiæ.
Emphatic winsThe last mini-tournament to begin, Group 2 in Bulgaria, got under way with two emphatic results from teams tipped to have a chance of reaching April's final four. Ukraine's SK Energia made a fine European debut as they saw off hosts MFC Varna; Andriy Parshykov scored twice in the first five minutes and, after Blagovest pulled one back, Sergii Yakunin scored eight goals including seven in 13 second-half minutes to earn a 10-1 win. However, it is 2004 runners-up Benfica who lead the group after a 17-2 victory against Politekhnik Yerevan. After seven minutes it was 6-0 and by the end Arnaldo, Zé Maria and Gonçalo Alves all had four goals. On Friday the top two could go through if Energia beat Yerevan and Benfica overcome Varna. Already in the last 16, to be played next month, are Group 4 qualifiers Futsal Topsport Antwerpen and KMF Municipium Casino Pljevlja and the four top seeds - holders MFK Dinamo Moskva, their Russian rivals MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg, Spanish champions ElPozo Murcia FS and Kairat Almaty.
Courtesy:
UEFA.comCoaches anticipate classicsFriday 14 September 2007by
Gary Macbeth from Gospic
All four teams in UEFA Futsal Cup Main round Group 5 can still go through and an exciting finale is in prospect on Saturday.
Advantage DevaWednesday's opening fixtures were drawn 2-2 – Croatian hosts HMNK Gospiæ being held by Georgia's Iberia 2003 Tbilisi, while Romanian side CIP Deva shared the spoils with Slovenia's KMN Puntar. Deva, probably the group favourites after their excellent run last year and their players' exploits for the Romanian national team, then edged to a 4-3 win against Iberia on Thursday. Meantime, it finished 3-3 between Gospiæ and Puntar.
'Hard match'Deva now need only draw against Gospiæ on Saturday to ensure a top-two finish and clinch another Elite round campaign. Their assistant coach, Károly Gáspár, was delighted by last night's result. "We are happy we won and I congratulate my players," he said. "It was a hard match for us. Again, we conceded a clumsy goal through lack of concentration, but in the end it finished well for us."
'Still a chance'Iberia, meanwhile, are the only team to have entered every edition of this competition yet they have never survived beyond one round. Coach Alexandr Khandokhin was understandably disappointed by the Deva result, although a win against Puntar on Saturday would be enough to break their duck should Deva avoid defeat. "It is hard to say anything after this match, as I am still thinking about the opportunities we squandered," he said. "We don't quite have a strong enough squad, and we are lacking a little fitness, but after a day off we will play Puntar and we still have a chance going into the final game."
Puntar desirePuntar coach Darijo Leban predicted a thriller after their comeback against the hosts. "We are delighted, and Saturday is going to be special," he said. "We have desire, competitiveness and our goalkeeper, Aljoša Mohoriè, was massive for us tonight. He had a superb game in stopping Gospiæ. The whole team did well and deserved the point."
Gospiæ believeGospiæ chief Mijo Rimac was more downbeat, his side having twice led by two goals. "I would say we were out of luck and that once again we missed a big chance," he said. "When we get ahead, we are not able to close out the game." He has not given up hope though. "I still believe and remain optimistic. I know my players won't give up, and our supporters will be cheering us on. The Romanian team will be a challenge, although they have shown nothing special at this tournament."
Courtesy:
UEFA.comFavourites make progressFriday 14 September 2007SL Benfica and SK Energia have both booked a place in the UEFA Futsal Cup Elite round after confirming the top two places in Group 2.
Section deciderThe Portuguese and Ukrainian contenders were much fancied to progress before the mini-tournament began and did just that today after 4-1 and 11-2 wins against MFC Varna, the Hungarian hosts, and Armenia's Politekhnik Yerevan respectively. Benfica and Energie, who have identical goal records, will meet to decide who tops the group on Sunday, when point-less Varna and Yerevan will go head to head with only pride at stake. The qualified clubs will both be involved in Tuesday's Elite round draw from 13.00CET at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Courtesy:
UEFA.comDramatic day decides groupSaturday 15 September 2007HMNK Gospiæ and CIP Deva picked up the last two remaining UEFA Futsal Cup Elite round berths after an exciting end to Main round Group 5 in Croatia.
Puntar deniedAll four contenders still had hopes of qualifying on the final day in Croatia, with Deva on four points, hosts Gospiæ and Slovenia's KMN Puntar level on two and Iberia 2003 Tbilisi on one. First to play were Puntar and Iberia, and their 2-2 draw ended the hopes of the Georgian champions but confirmed the passage of Deva regardless of their later result. That meant Puntar had to hope for a Deva victory or a lower-scoring draw in the later fixture. Unfortunately for them, Gospiæ defeated the Romanian side 5-2 to clinch first place, with Deva second.
Courtesy:
UEFA.comBenfica take first placeSunday 16 September 2007SL Benfica took first place in UEFA Futsal Cup Main round Group 2 after defeating SK Energia 6-2 on the final day.
Benfica successBoth the Portuguese and Ukrainian champions were already through to the Elite round thanks to wins against hosts MFC Varna and Politekhnik Yerevan in Bulgaria. Energia had the superior goal difference, putting them in pole position to have the higher seeding in Tuesday's draw, but the 2004 finalists put that right. Gonçalo Alves and Zé Maria put them into a ninth-minute 2-0 lead, and although Denys Ovsyanykov and Valeriy Legchanov levelled before the break, Zé Maria made it 3-2 on 23 minutes and a burst of goals from Arnaldo, Ricardinho and Gonçalo Alves settled matters. Varna beat Politekhnik by the same scoreline to finish third.
Courtesy:
UEFA.comBratislava belief pays offMonday 17 September 2007by
Víctor Beceiro from Baku
Slov-Matic Fofo Bratislava are celebrating a place in Tuesday's UEFA Futsal Cup Elite round draw – while Araz Naxçivan are coming to terms with their narrow exit.
Dramatic victoryGoing into the final day in Main round Group 3 in Azerbaijan, hosts Araz trailed second-placed Bratislava only on goal difference. In an exciting encounter, Araz led 3-1 with nine minutes left but Voitech Várady, Gabriel Bartošek and Peter Ha¾ko struck to give the Slovakian side a dramatic victory and a place in the Elite round along with group winners Luparense Calcio A5.
Contrasting emotionsBratislava coach Milan Kollár, whose club had fallen at the first hurdle in their two previous campaigns, said: "This is marvellous. I thank my players for the effort they put into this game. We believed in ourselves and tried with all our hearts until the final whistle." Araz president Zaur Akhiundov was more downbeat, saying: "Our players did a wonderful job and with the support of the crowd, we thought we had finally made it. It is so painful. It is a real pity. We will have to try again next year."
Belyi prideAmong the crowd were Russian futsal legend Arkadiy Belyi, who after retirement went on to coach Araz and returned to Baku for this mini-tournament. He expressed delight at the competition, which this year has entries from 43 UEFA member nations. "The current map of countries playing futsal, and the record participation in this edition of the UEFA Futsal Cup, prove that everybody's efforts have played a crucial role in the expansion of futsal," Belyi told uefa.com. "I want to contribute in any way that may be required, and being in Baku is a pleasure for me."
Posted by
Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
