Before the match ...

Courtesy: UEFA.com


Fran Serrejón fired up for final

Sunday 27 April 2008

by David Baño & Paul Saffer from Moscow

If Spain claims its fifth UEFA Futsal Cup in seven years, ElPozo Murcia FS captain Fran Serrejón will be the man to lift it. First, though, they must defeat Russia's MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg in today's final.

Wait over
Murcia defeated hosts MFK Dinamo Moskva on penalties on Friday to depose the holders and reach their first final after falling at the penultimate hurdle in 2005 and 2007. "We have been waiting for a long time to reach the final," Fran Serrejón told uefa.com. "We really wanted it. I think we deserve to be there and there is no better place to do it than here and against Dinamo. It's the perfect place to become European champions. We have taken the first of two giant steps and we will do our best to take that second step in the final."

Ekaterinburg enigma
But whereas Dinamo were a known quantity for two-time Spanish champions Murcia, European debutants Ekaterinburg are more of an enigma. "Now we have to focus on Viz-Sinara," Fran Serrejón said. "We will have to study how they play, as we don't know them as well as Dinamo. We had seen Dinamo on more occasions and we wanted to fully focus on the semi-final, that is also why we had not really looked much at the other two possible opponents. We have seen them on Friday and that gives us already an idea of how they play and we will prepare our game according to that."

Teamwork
As for Murcia themselves, their 34-year-old skipper – who has won world and European titles with the Spanish national team – is in no doubt as to what will provide the greatest threat to Ekaterinburg. "Our main feature is teamwork," he said. "We are all the same in the team. The stars of our team shine more when they work for the team. They understand that and it works very well. That is the key to our success. We have been playing like that for a long time and now we are reaping the rewards. We hope that we can now add the European title."




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Prudnikov proud of Ekaterinburg run

Sunday 27 April 2008

by Eugene Ravdin & Paul Saffer from Moscow

MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg's UEFA Futsal Cup record is not bad. In their first crack at the European competition, the Russian side have won four games out of four, and a fifth victory today against ElPozo Murcia FS would give them the continental title.

'Strong emotions'
It seemed to be all going wrong on Friday against Kairat Almaty in the semi-finals but five minutes into the second half Dmitri Prudnikov struck a powerful equaliser, a deserved personal reward for his hard work, and three late goals gave Ekaterinburg a 4-1 victory. "It is a very pleasant feeling to get to the final of the UEFA Futsal Cup from the first attempt," Prudnikov told uefa.com. "There were very strong emotions on Friday."

Big match
Ekaterinburg have never won the Russian league title and only entered this competition as MFK Dinamo Moskva won the UEFA Futsal Cup last season. Prudnikov, at 20 the youngest player in the Ekaterinburg squad, admitted that the club have already achieved much but wants even more. "Yes we have exceeded expectations already but we are in no way relaxed because there is another big match ahead of us," he said. "As for Friday's game, we started well and controlled the ball well in the first minutes, attacked and could have scored. Then something happened. Maybe we burned out a little. There was a very serious team-talk from our coach during the break and things got better, we started to play differently."

Murcia ability
Indeed, coach Sergei Skorovich expressed his frustration at part of his team's semi-final performance, but Prudnikov believes his approach is the right one. "We have a good coach," Prudnikov said. "He can be tough when it is needed but he can also joke." And now for Murcia, who on Friday beat a Dinamo side who are currently 21 points ahead of Ekaterinburg in the Russian Super League. "Murcia played just the way I expected," Prudnikov added. "A very good team packed with world and European champions."



Courtesy: UEFA.com



After the match ...

Thirteen lucky for top scorer Bali

Sunday 27 April 2008

by Paul Saffer from Moscow

Karim Bali of Futsal Topsport Antwerpen has finished his first UEFA Futsal Cup campaign as the competition's top scorer despite the Belgian team's elimination in the Elite round, while Il'Dar Makayev, Vladislav Shayakhmetov and Dmitri Prudnikov from champions MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg all shared the leading final four tally of two in as many games with ElPozo Murcia FS's Ciço.

Bali success
Bali, 22, totalled 13 goals in six appearances, putting him two ahead of SL Benfica's Portuguese international Ricardinho. Bali made his European debut in September's Main round against KMF Municipium Casino Pljevlja and his second-half goal secured a 2-2 draw. A day later, he scored two hat-tricks in a 9-1 defeat of Athina '90 Athens and added another treble as Futsal Club Gödöllö were beaten 6-0. The Elite round proved Antewerpen's limit, but Bali still managed a goal in the 5-1 reverse against FK Era-Pack Chrudim and he was on target twice to hold Slov-Matic Fofo Bratislava 5-5.

Final four feats
Makayev, unusually for futsal, claimed headers in both the semi-final defeat of Kairat Almaty and the decider against Murcia, something matched by the feet of Shayakhmetov and Prudnikov, though the latter was denied in the penalty shoot-out win. Ciço, who had also scored in the last four versus MFK Dinamo Moskva, registered in the second half of the final but ended up on the losing side. Meanwhile, his Murcia team-mate Wilde fired seven goals in qualifying and added another today to claim the best seasonal tally among the players of the final four contenders, who all entered the tournament in the Elite round.

2007/08 UEFA Futsal Cup top scorers
13 - Karim Bali (Futsal Topsport Antwerpen)
11 - Ricardinho (SL Benfica)
09 - Roman Mares (FK Era-Pack Chrudim)
08 - Arnaldo (SL Benfica)
08 - Shay Zabloski (Hapoel Ironi Rishon Lezion)
08 - Zé Maria (SL Benfica)
08 - Wilde (ElPozo Murcia Turistica)



Courtesy: UEFA.com


Rudnev finds solace in third place

Sunday 27 April 2008

by Eugene Ravdin from Krylatskoe Sport Palace

MFK Dinamo Moskva coach Yuri Rudnev was perhaps unsatisfied after the hosts and holders finished third, but he hailed the 5-0 play-off defeat of Kairat Almaty as "a great display". His opposite number Alesio felt Kairat's lack of experience cost them in the final four.

Yuri Rudnev, Dinamo coach
I want to congratulate everyone on a good game. It was a consolation match and we had some problems with motivation because Dinamo aim for first place in all competitions. But the club president and the coaches addressed the players as professionals who respect themselves and the fans, and they understood. They produced a great display and did not allow any question that Dinamo are a big club who always aim for the top, despite the fact luck was not on our side in the semis. It was a beautiful game with beautiful chances. I liked it very much but I liked the result even better, though it was unfair towards Kairat. We produced a good display and result against decent opponents. What pleased me was my team's play because bronze medals hardly provide any consolation. Considering that myself, our president and the players aim for the maximum, I do not think there is much joy in third place for us. I have positive emotions because we proved to everyone that we never give up and we are still winners.

Alecio, Kairat coach
We knew it would be tough for us in Moscow as we were taking on well-prepared teams that have very good understanding. But we managed to show some of our newcomers what the UEFA Futsal Cup is like and that is important. We produced decent performances in the two matches, though we lost them both. Today there was a beautiful game. We had the European champions and one of world's best sides up against us. Etienne played despite pain in the first match and we had to give him injections. We decided not to field him today so as to not harm his health, despite the fact he was eager to play. We lost the semi-final because of small details as experience is crucial in such competitions. We have players that had not even seen a sports complex like this before. Of course we did not come here for fourth place. We did not fulfill our task but the tournament gave us plenty of experience that will help us to do better next time.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Hosts Dinamo bow out with bronze

Sunday 27 April 2008

by Paul Saffer from Krylatskoe Sport Palace

MFK Dinamo Moskva earned third place in the UEFA Futsal Cup as the final four hosts secured a clinical play-off victory against Kairat Almaty.

Consolation
After Sergei Ivanov's opener, Dinamo took command of the game and Tatu's double penalty late in the first half effectively secured victory for the former holders, deposed by ElPozo Murcia FS in a shoot-out on Friday. Kairat had their moments but as they put everything into attack, Dinamo's Aleksandr Rakhimov, Joan and Cirilo all scored.

Goalscoring move
For the first six minutes there was little to do for Kairat goalkeeper Gustavo, back from the suspension that ruled him out of the 4-1 semi-final defeat by MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg. However, a great Dinamo move involving all their outfield players ended with Gustavo picking the ball out of the net as Aleksandr Rakhimov, Pavel Kobar and Anatoli Badretdinov all exchanged passes before Ivanov struck.

Double penalty
Pula twice tested Gustavo in quick succession, and Dinamo were now in control, forcing a number of fouls from Kairat. The sixth resulted in a standard penalty as Emerson handled, only for Joan's spot-kick to be palmed away by Gustavo. However, Pica Pau's trip on Cirilo meant Dinamo were awarded a double penalty, which Tatu powerfully converted.

Breakaway clincher
Alexey Popov, selected in goal for Dinamo ahead of first-choice Pavel Stepanov, was having little to do and after the break the hosts continued to display the touch that took them to the previous three finals and has left them on the verge of a seventh straight Russian title. Popov did keep out a strong Dentinho drive and smothered from Jadder Dantas, but as the Kazakhstan champions pushed forward, Rakhimov struck with four minutes left and Joan and Cirilo added goals in the final minute. Kairat, at least, will be back in Europe next season.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Ekaterinburg enjoy Futsal Cup glory

Sunday 27 April 2008

by Paul Saffer from Krylatskoe Sport Palace

MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg clinched the UEFA Futsal Cup on penalties after a final of intense drama against ElPozo Murcia FS in Moscow.

Zuev delight
Il'Dar Makayev headed Ekaterinburg into a first-half lead but Kike equalised, and in the second 20 minutes it was Murcia who edged ahead on three occasions, only for the Russian side to level each time. Despite some nervous moments at both ends, spot-kicks were required and Ekaterinburg goalkeeper Sergei Zuev saved from Vinicius Elías, Álvaro and, decisively, Kike to win the club the European title at their first attempt.

Wilde close
Murcia, unchanged from Friday's penalty shoot-out victory against hosts and holders MFK Dinamo Moskva, went close within seven seconds when Mauricio's shot was smothered by Zuev. The Spanish side were pouring forward, but Ekaterinburg showed they could counterattack in the 4-1 semi-final defeat of Kairat Almaty and did so again through Dmitri Prudnikov, who chased a Vladislav Shayakhmetov clearance and shot on to the crossbar. At the other end, Wilde's strike hit the outside of the post.

Murcia hit back
Ekaterinburg's ability to turn defence into attack was displayed to deadly effect in the 14th minute. Zuev's throw found Prudnikov on the left and although his shot fell on to the bar, Makayev was on hand to head in from an acute angle despite a desperate Saúl lunge. Raúl would have equalised but for another intervention from the woodwork, although Kike drew Murcia level before the break when sweeping in Wilde's assist.

Shayakhmetov levels
The second half began like the first, with Murcia dominating possession yet unable to relax for a moment. Four minutes in they were in front, Kike's kick-in from the right finding Ciço, who registered from the edge of the box. Within two minutes Ekaterinburg had cancelled out that advantage through Prudnikov, who strode forward to tee up Vladislav Shayakhmetov.

More excitement
Wilde made Zuev work, as did Mauricio with a point-blank turn, but the Murcia pair enjoyed more success when they combined to strike just past the midway point of the half. Maurico chased a ball down the left and set up Wilde for his eighth UEFA Futsal Cup goal this season. Now it was Murcia's turn to defend in depth, as they had done to superb effect against Dinamo, but Konstantin Agapov shot on to the post with little more than four minutes left and then Prudnikov finished off a free-kick move.

Lead short-lived
Only 17 seconds playing time later Mauricio scored, with Pavel Chistopolov rapidly cancelling out his effort. The Russian team so nearly prevented extra time when Alexey Mokhov rattled the crossbar with Juanjo out of position just ten seconds from time, before the woodwork then prevented Kike from hitting the winner in the additional ten minutes. Murcia had won all their previous UEFA Futsal Cup shoot-outs (against Action 21 Charleroi for bronze last year and in Friday's semi-final) but instead of more heroics from goalkeeper Juanjo, Zuev was the hero.



Courtesy: UEFA.com


Skorovich basks in Moscow success

Sunday 27 April 2008

by Eugene Ravdin from Krylatskoe Sport Palace

Having watched his MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg side lift the UEFA Futsal Cup at the first attempt with a penalty shoot-out win against ElPozo Murcia FS, coach Sergei Skorovich naturally paid tribute to goalkeeper Sergei Zuev, who saved three times in the shoot-out, as well as the spirit of his team for recovering from three second-half deficits. Murcia coach Duda knows glory slipped through their fingers but had plenty of praise for the victors.

Sergei Skorovich, Ekaterinburg coach
Few expected this from us or thought we would battle for the top places, but we kept faith and kept working to do so. We had two very tough games here. Tonight we were a goal down three times, we bent our backs, we struggled, we suffered, but we held firm and finally tipped the balance in our favour in an honest battle. If you look at the result then it is the goalkeeper who decided it as he saved three shots out of five in the shoot-out. In general, everyone was solid and united tonight as they all played and worked for each other. We were cut a little short in our options but those who took the pitch gave their best.

Of course [Vladislav] Shayakhmetov, [Dmitri] Prudnikov and[Konstantin] Agapov played very efficiently as they scored when we needed it the most. The lads are happy, they are celebrating as they deserved this win. There is no sense in saying anything to them now because the emotions are so high at the moment. It is always great to win and I feel sympathy for my colleague as it is always nasty to lose, especially in the final. Both teams did everything to win. I hope Murcia win the Spanish title again.

Duda, Murcia coach
First of all I would like to congratulate the worthy champions. Ekaterinburg won tonight because they showed exceptional will-power. We had most of the possession and attacked more but every time we went in front they did not give up and managed to equalise. I want to congratulate them on this. Usually we have always won shoot-outs but tonight it went the other way as Viz's belief brought them deserved reward. At 4-3 we had three dangerous shots and could not convert them and they punished us for that. We should not dwell on specific errors we made in this match but on what we did wrong while preparing for the final four.

For example, today we had some 40 kick-ins or corners but could only convert one. We should not dramatise individual errors. There were moments when we gave the initiative to the other side. For example, we conceded right after they swapped their keeper for a fifth outfield player. We could not increase our lead to two goals which would have killed them off. We knew they were strong on the break but still did not manage to hold back those moves.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


European futsal first for Ekaterinburg

Monday 28 April 2008

by Paul Saffer from Moscow

MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg may not be the most famous name in UEFA competition but on Sunday night they achieved something unique. Having never won their domestic league in their history, they beat ElPozo Murcia FS on penalties in Moscow to lift the UEFA Futsal Cup and be crowned European champions.

Debut success
Ekaterinburg were only making their competition debut because Russian champions MFK Dinamo Moskva lifted the trophy last year. But the newcomers won their three Elite round games, and in the final four in the Russian capital defeated Kairat Almaty 4-1 with a superb counterattacking display, and then trailed Murcia three times in the second half only to hold them 4-4 and prevail 3-2 on penalties. Russia goalkeeper Sergei Zuev saved three penalties for Ekaterinburg and told uefa.com: "This victory is incomparable. We had only won the Russian Cup before but a European cup is something completely different. I think fans will be greeting us at the airport because this is the first time in club's history."

Homegrown
What made their victory even more impressive is that Ekaterinburg, based nearly 1,700km east of Moscow, rely on homegrown stars, in contrast to the Brazilian talent imported by Dinamo. The capital side have a huge lead over Viz-Sinara in the Russian Super League but the hosts had their run of three straight finals ended before beating Kairat Almaty 5-0 for the third place. Murcia, meanwhile, are not short of European experience and knocked out Dinamo – on penalties – to reach their first final after two previous near-misses. They had hoped to become the third Spanish club to win the UEFA Futsal Cup, but instead their Italian international Vinicius Bacaro reflected: "This is what happens in futsal, this interesting and unpredictable sport."

Competition
Murcia will have top seeding in the forthcoming Spanish league play-offs as they attempt to return to Europe, but having won four of the first five UEFA Futsal Cups, Spain's clubs are now being caught by Russia's with Dinamo and Ekaterinburg's consecutive successes. "We can see that futsal is growing and the examples are these two Russian teams," Bacaro said. "The standard is getting higher and higher and that is a good thing for our sport. We need to follow their example. This should not be only between Russian and Spanish teams. I hope that in future years we can see clubs from new countries arriving, like Italy, so that futsal carries on developing."

Venue praised
That is crucial to the success of the UEFA Futsal Cup, especially since the old two-legged decider was replaced last year by a single-venue final four televised by Eurosport. UEFA's futsal manager Laurent Morel had special praise for Dinamo, who may have lost the trophy but impressed with their staging of the finals at the new Krylatskoe Sport Palace. "The venue is really exceptional and exactly what we need for this kind of event," Morel said. "The right size, the right quality. It's what we'll look for in future editions."




Courtesy: UEFA.com


'These are unbelievable feelings'

Monday 28 April 2008

by Eugene Ravdin & David Baño from Moscow

The contrast between winning and losing a penalty shoot-out is always both slight and mammoth, especially when a trophy like the UEFA Futsal Cup is at stake. uefa.com rounds up the reaction from both teams after MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg won the title at their first attempt, coming from behind three times to hold ElPozo Murcia FS 4-4 before winning 3-2 on penalties with three saves from Sergei Zuev in Moscow.

Sergei Zuev, Ekaterinburg goalkeeper
These are unbelievable feelings. It is the first time in my life I have experienced something like that - it was like an orgasm. When I stopped the third shot I could not believe what was happening. I remembered how Murcia players took their penalties against Dinamo and just tried to follow the pattern. Besides they took their shots in the same sequence. Extra-time was the hardest, as the most important thing was not to concede. We managed to do so and then went on to win on penalties.

Vladislav Shayakhmetov, Ekaterinburg player
I cannot really describe my feelings. It is the first time the club or myself has won such a prestigious trophy. I am overwhelmed with emotion. Today we won because of our spirit of self-sacrifice. The Spanish side were better and fresher than us. We have played very many games this season both for the national team and the club, something like 62. This is very hard as we almost always use only six or seven men. Tonight the lads gave their all and matched Murcia for commitment which gave us the result in the end.

Çico, Murcia player
At this moment I just feel nothing. We have worked all season to be ready for this moment. It was a very bad defeat. Now we have no other solution than to focus on the domestic league. We have to win the league again in order to play in the UEFA Futsal Cup again. Today I have no words. It is a feeling I don't wish on anybody. That is sport. Some you win, some you lose and we have to accept the defeat. Today it was us losing and we will see what happens at the end of the league season.

Álvaro, Murcia player
We know that penalties are a lottery. On Friday we were more motivated. You could tell from their faces that they wanted to win it more than us and we have to congratulate them because they were better than us on penalties. The key was that whenever we took the lead, they always came back immediately. Normally, our strong point is whenever we take the lead, it is hard for the other team because we have a very good defence. But today this was not the case. You do not get so many chances to play in Europe in your career. Now we have just wasted two chances and both in a very cruel way. Last year we lost the semi-final in the last second. This year we lost the final on penalties. That's sport. We have been knocked down - now we have to stand up again and try to go for the league title.







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