Courtesy: UEFA.com

Final four complete with Dinamo

Sunday 21 October 2007

UEFA Futsal Cup holders MFK Dinamo Moskva have completed the lineup for the 2007/08 final four after drawing with Elite round Group B hosts Luparense Calcio A5 in Padova.

Lineup complete
Dinamo needed only a point tonight to ensure their place in the final four from 24 to 26 April alongside Russian compatriots MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg, 2006/07 hosts and bronze medallists ElPozo Murcia FS of Spain, plus Kazakhstan's Kairat Almaty. And Dinamo's 2-2 draw meant the Russian champions did just that. UEFA will now decide on the venue for the showpiece event, which begins with the semi-finals and ends two days later with matches for first and third places.

Benfica consolation
Italy's Luparense came second despite SL Benfica's 7-3 win against KMF Municipium Casino Pljevlja in the early game between two sides already eliminated. However, Montenegro's debutant representatives Municipium had enjoyed a fine run, as one of only two clubs to reach the 16-team third stage after starting in August's Preliminary round.




Courtesy: UEFA.com

Ekaterinburg double Russian pride

Tuesday 23 October 2007

by Eduard Nisenboim

from Moscow

Two Russian teams will take part in the UEFA Futsal Cup final four from 24-26 April, but while holders MFK Dinamo Moskva are old hands in the latter stages of this competition, MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg are celebrating progress on their European debut.

Perfect record
Ekaterinburg gained entry as league runners-up behind European champions Dinamo, and the Russian title-holders' record in this competition meant the newcomers, despite never having played in the UEFA Futsal Cup before, were one of four teams seeded to the Elite round. Hosting Group D at their impressive Palace of Sports, Ekaterinburg won a tough mini-tournament with a match to spare by beating Ukraine's SK Energia 2-1 and Romania's CIP Deva 10-3, and celebrated with a 3-1 defeat of Israeli champions Hapoel Ironi Rishon Lezion – giving them the best overall record of the Elite round.

'Invaluable experience'
They will be joined in the semi-final draw by Dinamo, ElPozo Murcia FS and Kairat Almaty, and Ekaterinburg president Grigori Ivanov is delighted with their progress. "It is invaluable experience for our young players," he said. "Of course, we got lucky with the draw to some extent as we did not have to play against the top teams. But still, Viz-Sinara are one of Russia's best teams. Our league and Spain's are the strongest in Europe, so we had to progress."

Hosts
One of the four finalists will stage the event next spring, but Ivanov says he does not yet know if Ekaterinburg will again wish to act as hosts as they did for the Elite round. "We have not thought about that yet," he said. "Now we need to catch our breath a bit. Then we will meet with the coaches and players to decide whether we want to make our bid."




Courtesy: UEFA.com

Kairat boost Kazakhstan pride

Wednesday 24 October 2007

by Timur Kamashev

from Almaty

When Kairat Almaty reached the UEFA Futsal Cup semi-finals two years ago it was considered a massive step forward for the game in Kazakhstan. Now they are back having reached the revamped final four, but this time they are setting their sights even higher.

Dramatic success
Kairat were top seeds in Elite round Group C, but went into the final day second on goal difference behind Czech hosts FK Era-Pack Chrudim having defeated Slov-Matic Fofo Bratislava 4-3 and Futsal Topsport Antwerpen 5-1. So victory was needed, but at half-time Kairat trailed 3-1 and later went 4-2 down before goals from Rafael and Cacau in the final four minutes secured a dramatic 5-4 victory. "We defeated a strong team which makes our success bigger," said Cacau. "We had to prove our success two years ago was not an accident. I am happy we earned some respect for Kazakh futsal."

'Mental strength'
The Almaty side have a mixture of Brazilians like Cacau and homegrown players including Yuriy Butrin, and the Kazakhstan international added: "Chrudim were the toughest of our three opponents but we proved that Kairat do not just have ball skills and tactical ability but also mental strength. This win proves we are in form and can match the top sides."

Time to prepare
In 2005/06, Kairat had just over a month between pipping SL Benfica to the semi-finals and meeting MFK Dinamo Moskva, losing 8-2 on aggregate in the former two-legged system. But this time around the one-venue final stage is not until 24-26 April, giving Kairat plenty of time to come to terms with fellow contenders Dinamo, ElPozo Murcia FS and MFK Viz-Sinara Ekateringburg. Captain Etienne said: "The semi-finals are scheduled for late April so we have almost half a year which is quite enough time to get ready. There is no other goal but to win the UEFA Cup because we have already reached the semi-finals."

Feet on ground
That said, coach Alecio is well aware of how tough it will be in the spring. "We should not be euphoric," he said. "A ticket to the final four is not a cup. There is just one trophy and we have to stay humble until we win it because we have three super-clubs standing in the way of real success."

Reward
Still, Kazakhstan is certainly not a minnow nation when it comes to futsal; prior to their UEFA transfer they won bronze medals at the 1999 and 2000 AFC Asian Futsal Championship and club president Kairat Orazbekov has created a side capable of similar success in Europe. "In Chrudim we were reaping the fruit of thoroughly planned scouting and training," he said. "We are on the right track and I want to sincerely thank all the staff and everyone who helped us. We will try to make our fans happy during the final four."




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