Courtesy: UEFA.com


Russia and Italy collide again

Friday 23 November 2007

by Paul Saffer & Pavel Gognidze from Porto

All three previous winners of the UEFA European Futsal Championship are in the semi-finals – and two of them face off in the first of Friday's fixtures in Gondomar as Italy play Russia.

Old rivals
Italy, who lifted the trophy in 2003, have an equal record against the 1999 champions with five wins each in 13 meetings. That includes games at every one of the preceding European finals; latterly, Italy prevailed 1-0 to knock out Russia in the group stage en route to victory on home soil in 2003, before the Azzurri were eliminated 4-2 by the same team in the 2005 semi-finals.

In form
Azzurri coach Alessandro Nuccorini can count on eleven of the 12 players who tackled Russia two years ago, compared to the opposition's seven. Nuccorini led his charges to the Group A summit with a 0-0 draw against hosts Portugal, a 7-1 victory over Romania (a joint championship record) and a 4-0 defeat of the Czech Republic. However, since the countries' last meeting, Russia have acquired new stars in naturalised Brazilians Cirilo and Pelé Junior, and Nuccorini accepts that his side have a considerable hurdle to jump.

Dangerous duo
"This tournament has been a joy for us and we do not want it to stop," said Nuccorini, who could recall Anderson Pellegrini and Marcio Forte, rested against the Czechs. "We now play a very strong Russia team, even more powerful than the one we encountered in Ostrava two years ago. Compared to that squad, there are now two naturalised players, Pelé and Cirilo, who can make the difference."

Mixed form
Russia themselves have had mixed fortunes so far. They overcame a scare to beat Serbia 5-3 before cruising past Ukraine 4-1 to progress with a game to spare. Yet they then lost 4-1 to Spain on Wednesday to fall behind the holders in Group B – although coach Oleg Ivanov used the occasion to rest key players and has a full squad available against the Azzurri.

Organisation
Ivanov told uefa.com: "Italy are a well-organised team. They press well, they defend well. Also, they have leaders on the pitch in Edgar Bertoni and Adriano Foglia. The key to success could be our set-pieces, being effective in positional attacks. We will be using the zonal defence we normally use, and will be relying on counterattacks. Pressing is something we will use only occasionally."

Experiments
Having experimented tactically against Spain, Ivanov mused: "We tried out talented young players like Marat Azizov and Sergei Sergeev and let those who have been less involved play more. We rested Vladislav Shayakhmetov and Sergei Malyshev and Pelé also got a bit of a break." However, the loss meant that they face Italy rather than lower-ranked hosts Portugal. Ivanov is undaunted, saying: "The great Russian general Aleksandr Suvorov once said: 'In order to win the war, it's sometimes useful to lose a battle'."




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Portugal duo issue rallying cry

Friday 23 November 2007

by Nuno Tavares & Paul Saffer from Porto

Portugal may be UEFA European Futsal Championship hosts and guaranteed the backing of a fervent home crowd in the Multiusos Gondomar Coração de Ouro but they will have to upset the odds to get past Spain tonight and reach Sunday’s final.

Hopes
Spain have won three European titles, while Portugal are making their semi-final debut and have only beaten their neighbours once in 12 meetings. However not only are there the examples of the 2003 UEFA European Under-17 Championship final and UEFA EURO 2004™ group stage, where hosts Portugal defeated Spain, but Orlando Duarte's home squad are up for the challenge after coming through their opening three games unbeaten.

Step up
Still, goalkeeper João Benedito admits it will be a step up. "It will be completely different from facing teams like the Czech Republic and Romania," he told uefa.com. "We know the Spanish team very well and it is the same for them. Although they have been stronger than us in the past we did beat them in our latest friendly encounter [in 2005], so I guess they will want to avenge that result. We will do our best in order to reach the final. We will have to be very intelligent if we are to get through."

Close encounter
Leitão, who completed the scoring in the 3-0 win against Romania that took Portugal through, has his hopes. "We certainly have our chances," he said. "It will a very difficult and balanced match. We know just how strong Spain are and that they always deliver at this level but it's a one-off game in which anything can happen and I do believe we can beat them."




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Futsal tactics growing up

Friday 23 November 2007

by Paul Saffer from Porto

The question of whether football coaches are forced into pragmatic thinking for fear of their jobs is always a live issue. And Vic Hermans, part of the technical study group at the UEFA European Futsal Championship, fears that the small-sided game is going the same way.

Pragmatic
Netherlands coach Hermans is a former player and one of the gurus of the game, and is helping to analyse the finals in Porto for UEFA's technical report. And with the tournament having begun with a rare 0-0 draw between Italy and Portugal, he wonders if that may become a more common scoreline. "Some things have changed," Hermans told uefa.com. "The coaches now prepare teams not to lose. Maybe it is also a dangerous path for futsal – should we make the game attractive or continue like this?"

Skill
That also has had an effect on the make-up of the teams, Herman believes. "You don't see as many skilful players, it is more combination play," he said. "There is a newcomer, [Marko] Perić of Serbia, a young guy at 22. He has an eye for a killer ball between two players, but the game is getting tighter. You saw England [in their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier] on Wednesday, they lost 3-2 and the coach is out. Maybe if he put eleven players on the pitch to not go over the halfway line it would be different – what's best? So should futsal go one way or the other? I like a lot of goals, that for me is futsal. It is up to us which way we want to go."

Spanish maturity
As for the individual teams, Hermans has spotted a change in defending champions Spain, whose coach José Venancio replaced long-serving Javier Lozano in September. "I saw Spain defending in their own half for the first time against Russia and I was surprised," he said. "Is the quality going down or the new coach thinking another way? They are still a team of a very high standard. The players are a couple of years older and smarter, they don't attack all the time."

Russia enhanced
The team beaten by Spain two years ago in Ostrava, Russia, have added naturalised Brazilian-born duo Cirilo and Pelé Junior to their squad in 2007. "It has changed the way Russia plays," Hermans said. "They have two systems. They used to always play one-on-one, now they have Cirilo, the pivot, two Brazilians and two Russians in one bloc. Maybe it has changed their mentality. Ukraine have no Brazilians and play the same way for the whole game."

Developments
Of the other semi-finalists, Hermans praised Italy's young team but wonders if Portugal and their star player Ricardinho are still a few years from their peak. Hermans also said he was most impressed by Serbia of the four eliminated sides. But it is not just match analysis that Hermans is here for, he also relishes the chance to share his and fellow coaches' ideas with UEFA. "We had a round table discussion here [with all eight coaches] and I was satisfied, same as in Ostrava two years ago," he said. "Now in this tournament, some points we talked about back then have come to fruition."




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Nuccorini celebrates Italian high

Friday 23 November 2007

by Pavel Gognidze from Porto

Italy coach Alessandro Nuccorini said the UEFA European Futsal Championship semi-final defeat of Russia was the best they had ever played. Nando Grana's early free-kick goal was followed by a stubborn defensive display and after Cirilo hit the underside of the crossbar and the ball bounced on the line, Italy's key man at the back Fabiano Assad strode forward and clinched victory with a powerful shot. Russia's Oleg Ivanov said mistakes and bad fortune cost his team a repeat of their 2005 semi-final win against the Azzurri.

Alessandro Nuccorini, Italy coach
We were very strong in defence and we did our best not to repeat the mistakes of two years ago. We concentrated hard and we also lucky when we were 1-0 up. I would like to congratulate my players for the effort they made both physically and mentally. They did not commit any mistakes in defence. This is the best match played by Italy in our whole history. We told Fabiano in the dressing room that he played at a monstrous level when marking Cirilo and also all round. As for Cirilo's chance, I was closer than Ivanov and even I could not tell whether it was a goal or not. Anyway this is what happens in futsal. If it had gone to 1-1 nobody knows what would have happened next. Perhaps Russia deserved their win two years ago just as Italy deserved it today.

Oleg Ivanov, Russia coach
Our mistakes decided the outcome of this game. We hit the woodwork twice and when Cirilo hit the crossbar we at first though the ball has crossed the line. Today we were simply unlucky. I would like to congratulate my colleague Alessandro Nuccorini on this win, it will be a good final. Let Italy think it was their revenge for the previous semi-final. The game was equal, but Italy were more fortunate than us. I don't agree that we did not attack enough in the first half. Today we were relying too much on individual skills and that harmed the teamplay. The early goal we allowed of course disrupted our game. That shot allowed Italy a soft goal because we formed the wall wrongly. We worked on this, but Italy took advantage of our mistake.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Coaches draw breath after classic

Friday 23 November 2007

by Pete Sanderson from Porto

José Venancio watched his Spain side come from two goals behind to pull level and then beat hosts Portugal on penalties to reach the UEFA European Futsal Championship final against Italy and declared "nobody deserved to lose". Portugal coach Orlando Duarte had praise for the holders but felt his side deserved to win.

José Venancio, Spain coach
I'd like to congratulate Portugal on putting on a great show today. They played some fantastic futsal and were very unlucky to be knocked out of the competition. Nobody deserved to lose tonight but this sport is a cruel game and somebody had to lose. It was a wonderful game of futsal played by two exciting teams and we had the luck when we needed it. It was horrible to fall two goals behind after a very equal first half but we made a mistake for their first goal, missed a number of good chances and then fell two behind to a special goal from a special player – Ricardinho.

After that my team showed great composure thanks to the calming influence of some of my players, particularly Kike. My team always seem to surprise me and have never let me down in the big situations. This time it looked like it was too late but some big saves from my goalkeeper and some big performances in the last six minutes ensured we have now booked a place in the final. Now we can turn our attention to the final where we will meet another great team who play a different style of futsal. It will certainly be a great advert for goalkeeping with the two best goalkeepers in the world coming head to head.

Orlando Duarte, Portugal coach
I thought we were the better team for the most part of the game. Anyone who saw this game knows that it was a great advert for futsal. My team deserve a lot of credit for the style of futsal which they played throughout the tournament and particularly in this semi-final when for 35 minutes we were outstanding. Some people have criticised us for the way we have played at times but tonight I think we showed what a great team is developing here in Portugal because at times we were outplaying a Spanish side who are the title holders and regarded as a much better team than us.

Some people may criticise us for the tactics we used at the end of the game when we may have appeared to struggle against the five outfield players of Spain but this is something we have practiced a lot in training. I was frustrated with the two goals we conceded – one was a rebound which was hard to defend and the other one was an error when perhaps the pressure of the situation became too tough to deal with. A few people will wonder whether things would have been different had [most-capped player] André Lima been fit. We will never know the answer but he is injured and we have done very well without him. We will not look for excuses.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Stubborn Azzurri book final place

Friday 23 November 2007

by Paul Saffer from Multiusos Gondomar Coração de Ouro

A superb defensive display from Italy took them into Sunday's UEFA European Futsal Championship final at the expense of Russia.

Russia denied
Nando Grana, the top scorer in Ostrava two years ago when Italy lost their title at this stage to Russia, opened the scoring with a third-minute free-kick deflected in off Cirilo. The Russia star was then among the players frustrated as the Azzurri allowed their opponents little space, though early in the second half Cirilo hit the underside of the crossbar and Pelé Junior struck the post. But Fabiano Assad made it 2-0 with nine minutes left and Russia's bid for a second title was over. Italy will meet Spain on Sunday hoping to avenge their 2004 FIFA Futsal World Cup final defeat.

Early goal
Italy, who started with Anderson Pellegrini and Marcio Forte after they were rested for Wednesday's Group A clinching 4-0 defeat of the Czech Republic, were celebrating within three minutes. They won a free-kick just outside the Russia box and Grana's shot deflected in off Cirilo to the delight of the fans who had placed Italian flags and rallying slogans throughout the arena. Not long afterwards Fabiano was denied by Sergei Zuev, who has so far taken turns with Pavel Stepanov in the Russia goal.

Frustration
At the other end Vladislav Shayakhmetov worked the ball to Konstantin Maevski, but Alexander Feller saved as he then did from Pelé and once more from Maevski. But then the Azzurri were happy to sit back and rely on the counterattack, having conceded just once in the group stage. Adriano Foglia came close from one break while Aleksandr Fukin found a gap but Feller again was equal to his effort.

Woodwork struck twice
Early in the second half Pelé hit the side-netting, while on the counterattack Foglia was denied by Zuev. Damir Khamadiev's free-kick was then worked by Fukin to Shayakhmetov, but Feller did superbly to save. Cirilo had been shackled all game but then came agonisingly close with a turn and shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced away off the line. Not long afterwards Pelé hit the post.

Clincher
However, Italy soon doubled the lead, Fabiano producing a stunning angled shot into the top corner. Russia continued to move forward but in a desperate scramble Anderson and Feller kept out Cirilo. Grana forced a clever save from Zuev, who was then replaced by Maevskiy as a flying goalkeeper for long periods. However, there was no way through for Russia and Italy are into their second final in three editions while Oleg Ivanov's team will compete for third place with hosts Portugal.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Spain shoot-out win ends home dreams

Friday 23 November 2007

by Paul Saffer from Multiusos Gondomar Coração de Ouro

Holders Spain set up a UEFA European Futsal Championship final against Italy after a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory against hosts Portugal in a passionate Iberian derby.

Comeback
Gonçalo and Ricardinho struck superb goals in the final ten minutes to put Portugal seemingly in control but Daniel and Andreu showed their experience with cool finishes and Spain did not miss a kick in the shoot-out while two home efforts failed to find the target. Portugal had never reached the last four before but now meet Russia for bronze on Sunday.

Tight
Kike came close early for Spain with a powerful long shot saved by João Benedito but to the delight of the packed crowd Portugal were soon matching the holders attack for attack. Spain goalkeeper Luis Amado dived at the feet of Arnaldo to smother the ball before the Portugal player then shot wide. Marcelo only just missed the target while Arnaldo again forced Amado into action as play switched ends swiftly.

Crossbar struck
Gonçalo got to the Spain byline but his shot from a tight angle hit the outside of the post with Amado covering, while Marcelo again threatened the Portugal goal but his strike zipped wide. Joel Queirós beat Amado but the ball bounced away off the crossbar, but Spain continued to have their share of pressure and both teams played with visible passion to the delight of the supporters keeping up a barrage of noise.

Diving stop
It was a similar story after the break, a real contrast to the more tactical semi-final between Italy and Russia that preceded this match. Andreu seemed set to open the scoring after an Ortiz cross but two point-blank efforts were blocked by the Portugal defence. Amado remained staunch in the Spain goal, denying Zé Maria. After a swift break, Javi Eseverri put the ball just past the post and at the halfway point of the second period forced a wonderful diving stop from João Benedito.

Portugal delight
With nine minutes left Javi Rodríguez cut back a free-kick to Marcelo but João Benedito saved and the rebound fell to Leitão. His through ball set away Gonçalo to advance swiftly and his sublime chip gave Amado no chance. Spain now pushed desperately, Álvaro shooting over twice, though Gonçalo also went near following a free-kick.

Dramatic end
Then Portugal's 22-year-old starlet showed why he is touted as one of the world's best with an incredible bicycle kick after Pedro Costa's cross. However Daniel pulled one back and with exactly two minutes left Andreu reponded to a shot being blocked by Zé Maria by hooking the ball in. The game went straight to penalties, and Amado saved Portugal's second spot-kick by Joel Queirós before Leitão hit the post with his final effort as Spain prevailed just as in the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Cup semi-final shoot-out against Brazil. Their victims in the subsequent final? Italy.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Amado keeps Spain in contention

Saturday 24 November 2007

by David Baño & Paul Saffer from Porto

The phrase 'Spain hero Luis Amado' has been rather a common one in futsal in recent years. Widely considered the best goalkeeper in the game, he saved his national team again last night as he stopped Portugal's second penalty in the shoot-out win that took the holders into the UEFA European Futsal Championship semi-final.

Penalty drama
Amado, superb throughout the game, was finally beaten by two outstanding Portugal strikes in the last ten minutes only for Spain to fight back – with Kike on as a 'flying goalkeeper' and force spot-kicks. In the shoot-out Amado denied Joel Queirós before Leitão hit the post to send the holders through to Sunday’s final against Italy. The 31-year-old was unrepentent about their method of progress, the same means by which they defeated Brazil in the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Cup semi-finals, when they went on to beat the Azzurri.

Lottery?
"It was an even semi-final," Amado told uefa.com. "There were no goals in the first half and they went two goals up in the second half. We then started to play with a flying goalkeeper. This tactic proved efficient and we manage to equalise. As for penalties, some people call it a lottery, some others luck. The fact is we looked for that luck and got it."

Final
So on Spain go to meet Italy, who themselves boast a world-class goalkeeper in Alexander Feller, who has conceded just once in the finals, while Amado is yet to keep a clear sheet. "We will play against a great team in the final," Amado said. "But Italy will also have in front of them another great team – Spain."




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Grana prize for Italy goalscorer

Saturday 24 November 2007

by Nuno Tavares & Paul Saffer from Porto

Nando Grana, top scorer in the 2005 UEFA European Futsal Championship, has not been as prolific this time around in Portugal but his second goal of the tournament probably eclipses in importance any of his six from two years ago.

Crucial goal
Less than three minutes into their semi-final against Russia, Nando Grana's strong free-kick deflected in off Cirilo. That gave Italy the lead they needed to stifle their opponents, notably the aforementioned Cirilo, before scoring again to claim a 2-0 victory and place in Sunday's final against Spain. Italy captain Grana told uefa.com: "Thank God I was fortunate enough to score from the free-kick even if it was with Cirilo's help, but I'm just happy I was able to help Italy to get to the final."

Cultures combined
Darley Fernando Grana, to give him his full name, was born in Brazil like much of the Italy squad, and the 28-year-old sees both futsal cultures repesented in the Azzurri's play. "I think the team displays a combination of Brazilian technique and Italian defending and it's exactly for that reason that we have qualified for the final," said Grana, a veteran of Italy's 1-0 victory against Ukraine in the 2003 decider.

Next step
However, a repeat of that triumph is far from secure. "We haven't finished the job yet," Grana warned. "We took it one game at a time starting with Portugal [the opening 0-0 draw] and now we have achieved our first goal, which was to play in the final. Now we may rest a bit and enjoy some quality time with our family before we start preparing the final game."




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Futsal finals go to plan

Saturday 24 November 2007

by Paul Saffer from Porto

UEFA is based in Switzerland, but it might make sense for them to open an office in Portugal.

Fifth event
The current UEFA European Futsal Championship is the fifth final round in as many years have some to western Iberian, following the 2003 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, UEFA EURO 2004™, the 2005 UEFA Cup final and 2006 UEFA European U21 Championship. Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) deputy general secretary Álvaro Albino is the tournament director for the futsal finals in the Porto region, which began last Friday and ends on Sunday, and he says the body is delighted to be given so many events. "We are very proud of this as since 2003 every year we have had an important UEFA event," Albino told uefa.com. "It is a responsibility, and this event even more so as we have done it almost all in-house. This shows our experience and know-how."

'Good tournament'
Albino is pleased with how things have gone. "In my opinion it has been a good tournament," he said. "All the teams are happy with what we put at their disposal. We do our best to create the best conditions for the teams and UEFA staff organising a big tournament. The media have covered it well, we have had two or three pages per day in our sports newspapers and good broadcast coverage. It is important for the development of futsal in Portugal and I would like this coverage to continue after the finals."

Futsal challenge
Involved in previous UEFA tournaments for the FPF, Albino says futsal presents new challenges compared to football. "It is different as all the matches are in the same hall, you cannot do this in football," he said. "It is good as it is easy to organise; we put a structure in the hall, but at the same time it is a mess because there are lots of people working all the time in the same hall. We had eight teams at the same hotel, not easy. For example they take meals at the same time with different cultures and cuisines. But we tried to manage this and I think we have had positive results."

Future
The FPF have worked hard for four years to prepare this event, changing the main match venue to the then incomplete Multiusos Gondomar Coração de Ouro when UEFA moved the competition to their professional football division, meaning a far bigger commercial operation. And Albino says that after the finals the work will go on to ensure futsal continues to grow in Portugal. "The Portuguese FA have good plans for futsal development," he said. "This year we have secured TV coverage, we have a sponsor for the league. This is a good start."



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